Chapter 10 - Content

◆◆◆

Persephone spent the next few days decorating the room with Olive as her constant companion. Sometimes Cerberus would paw himself into the room and make her small group a trio. At first Persephone had watched with trepidation as the dog’s heads had sniffed and smelled the small fawn, and she stood close lest she need to defend Olive. After several seconds of inhaling the fawn’s scent, however, all three heads seemed to deem him as harmless and now, for several hours every day, they curled next to each other on the bed, the four heads snuggled closely together. Persephone had watched with delight as they had chased one another around her room earlier today, Olive’s long legs bounding gracefully as the dog panted and nipped playfully at him. With only Olive and Cerberus as company, she was free to transform her room as she saw fit. Pink peonies crawled up and around the canopy bed and patches of soft, green moss now carpeted the floor. A roped swing hung from a willow tree in the corner of the room, while her fireplace was adorned with garlands of flowers. Much to the distress of Jocasta, the pond in the back was filled with blossoming lily pads and even a few frogs could be seen in the depths, but Persephone assured her that this was how she had always bathed at home. The bedroom had been transformed into a garden and for the first time in a long while, Persephone felt content. She would read books on the swing as Olive laid on her lap and a very small Cerberus would curl up at her feet. The room had blossomed, and so had she. Tiny white flowers trailed wherever she walked and even a few could now be found in the hallway that led from her room. As long as she took care to bring the orb with her every day, the flora need not be confined for just her enjoyment.

When the orb dimmed and the stars appeared on her ceiling, she knew it was the night on the earth. She would light a fire, and after placing candles around the room, she reclined on the mossy floor, staring up at the ceiling as the constellations danced across the sky. She was wonderfully peaceful, but she could not help but to wonder what her husband was doing?  She had not seen Hades in days. If she did not know better, she would have thought she had imagined the passion brewing between them a few days ago, but she knew her imagination could not be that creative. Was he avoiding her? Perhaps he sought solace in the arms of another and she closed her eyes tightly against the thought, surprised at the pain that image conjured. What did he do in his spare time, she wondered? Certainly, he was not merely working this entire time. She had not ventured far from her room since her encounter with the demon, but it was time that she visited her husband at his work.

She put on a long black robe and made her way down to the throne room. Olive followed behind her as a trail of flowers blossomed in their wake. She approached the large black doors and hesitated, remembering the horror she had seen behind them once before. But there was no room for cowardice, and she needed to find Hades and see if he had made any progress with the curse.  And to make sure he was okay, her mind insisted to her annoyance. She pressed her ear to the cold wood and heard only silence. This time she would be bold and would not cower like a frightened child. Grabbing the iron handles decisively in her hands she threw the doors open and stepped inside. She gasped as a blinding light filled the room and shielded her eyes. As she peered closer into the center of the room, she realized two golden figures stood before her, the taller figure embracing the smaller one. She started moving forward only to see them fade quickly away, taking the brilliant light with them -- only the sound of her breathing filled the room.

She blinked and stared at the spot where they had been, but they did not appear again. The room was empty. “That was very curious,” she said slowly to the baby deer. “But in any case, what is not curious here? We may as well enjoy ourselves since we seem to be alone now.”

And she swooped Olive into her arms and together they danced. She performed many of the intricate steps she had seen on Mount Olympus as a little girl, eventually transitioning to the country steps of the people who lived near their temple who had never suspected a Goddess had watched them night after night dancing in tune. She finally ended with the dance of the dead that she had learned with Hades after the parade. She was breathless by the time they finished, and with a laugh she leaned against the ebony throne at the front of the hall, letting the fawn slip gently from her arms. She sucked in her breath the moment the rock touched her skin and stepped back. Two large throne chairs sat side by side, but she knew Hades had always sat alone at the Throne of the Dead. When she had touched the chair, she had felt such strong emotions: remorse, uncertainty, sorrow. He was always so stoic, but were these the feelings he pushed down so deep inside himself that even he did not recognize them? How many souls had stood at the feet of a God who was forced to deal out their judgment? How old had Hades been when he first was given this wretched task? Walking up to the chair, the goddess sat down rubbing a slim hand over the dark stone, letting the sensations fill her. The sense of isolation and forsakenness increased, and her soul gave a small cry of distress at the magnitude of the overwhelming loneliness emanating there.

"You are so alone," she whispered.