The two who looked like siblings were talking animatedly, as though they were in their own world so I excused them, making my way out of their presence to find Hades.
The atmosphere in the grand hall was electric, filled with laughter and music that echoed off the marble walls. It was a night of celebration, yet I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something was off, I had a very familiar feeling about everything. As I found my way through the crowd, I felt the weight of a thousand eyes upon me, judging, scrutinizing. It wasn't every day a mortal like me found herself in the company of gods huh?
"Valerie?, what are you doing here?" a voice boomed, cutting through the revelry. My heart skipped a beat as I turned to see a man standing on a grand throne kind of chair. his eyes stormy with displeasure. His presence was imposing, an aura of power radiating off him in waves. I could not shake of the way he struck
His golden hair, tousled and wild, framed a face that seemed both timeless and ageless. His eyes, a piercing blue, shone with an intensity that spoke of ancient storms and untold wisdom. When he looked at you, it was as if he saw right through to your very soul, uncovering secrets you didn't even know you had.
His body was a masterpiece, although not as good as Hades…. I shook my head at that thought.
‘surely it had been a mistake to think that way. Hades was after all my kidnapper
“HAVE YOU GONE DEAF!!!!” he boomed, at this point, the whole place was silent
“zeus, brother, calm down”
Zeus's eyes narrowed, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. "Hermes," he repeated, the name laced with contempt. "Always the meddler."
all eyes now focused on the confrontation. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. I shouldn't have come. i should have tried harder to fight against hades.
"You do not belong here," Zeus declared, his voice thunderous. "Leave now, before I am forced to remove you myself."
Panic surged through me. I took a step back, my mind racing for a way to escape, but it was Hades that brought me here by waving his hands, I was not sure I could do that myself.
“brother, I am afraid I don’t like how my guest is being treated by you” a low deep voice came from behind me, causing me to sigh from content at the voice and subconsciously lean to the direction of the voice.
“Hades, now is not the time to question my judgements!!” he said , looking on the edge.
I widened my eyes to hear him better and looked to my side and indeed, Hades was at least four feet away from me.
“WHAAAAAA” I did not just find his voice … I shook my head, forcing myself to not remember what I had just thought of his voice. It was this place! It was messing with me! Messing with my mind!!!
“Valerie sweety” he, the beast called in an overly sweet voice, one that did not match his usual behavior. “you acting like a crazy person and talking to yourself is not going to prevent my brother from casting you out, if anything you are proving why you cannot be here!” he said with an overly sweet voice.
I looked from him to everyone in the room and surely, they were looking at me like I had grown a second head.
“I did say them out loud, didn’t i?” I said, trying and failing to not to look awkward
“Hades, I need her out of this place this instant! And I swear it! take this … this thing back to whatever hell you brought her from!” you could literally feel his blazing eyes on your skin if anything.
“did… did I do something wrong?” I asked, looking straight at Zeus. I had barely met him and yet, he was being more of an ass than Hades had been.
“yes!!!! Yes!!! You have done something wrong, you exist!” that stung. I blinked away the tears that gathered. I laughed. A couple weeks ago at my father’s house, those words would not have fazed me. Seems like Hades was being soft with me afterall.
“is something funny?” he looked even more pissed, ready to smite me or something and I was shaken by just the sound of his voice.
Then, the massive doors of the hall creaked open, and all eyes turned toward the entrance as a figure stepped through the threshold. It was Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld. Her presence commanded attention, and the very atmosphere seemed to shift with her arrival. For one, I was relived a bit that the attention was carried away from her, even for a bit. I did not know how I did know her, but she indeed had a striking appearance that made me know her name immediately
Persephone's gown was a marvel, woven from threads of twilight and dawn, shimmering with an ethereal glow. Her dark hair cascaded in waves, adorned with delicate flowers that seemed to bloom and fade with every step. Her eyes, a striking shade of emerald
"Good evening, love," she said, facing hades. her voice carrying a melodic warmth that resonated throughout the hall. "I apologize for my tardiness, what did I miss?"
Taking my opportunity, I went closer to Hades to tell him that we should get going before someone focuses on me again.
I stood there, frozen in my steps as I saw the scene before me.
Hades looked like a love struck puppy waiting for its master to look its way. For some reason, seeing him look at her that way made me sick to my stomach.
But the real question, who was she? Why was Hades reacting this way? and most importantly, why was everything feeling familiar?