"Are you feeling any better yet?" Hades asked when we entered her rooms, which were actually a collection of suites that could easily house a large family of mortal royalty. She trailed into her bedroom and sat down in front of a desk and mirror, taking off her crown and shaking out her hair. With only a point of her finger, a fire erupted in her fireplace and began to warm the room.

I didn't know whether to be transfixed by the sight of the balcony overlooking a waterfall, the size of Hades' canopied bed, or the sight of Hades running her fingers through the black locks before answering. "A little, actually."

"This probably won't make you feel any better, but it was probably Achlys causing you to feel like that." Hades watched me in the mirror as she took off her other jewelry.

"What do you mean?"

"She is the goddess of misery and sadness. Just like you can't help when you grow flowers around you, she can't help how her presence brings about negative feelings."

I frowned. "The others seemed fine."

"It's because we've grown used to it. We just ignore them."

My frown increased. It was just another reason I was so different from them.

"I'm sorry." She rose from her seat gracefully but looked like she debated approaching me. "I can see I've only made it worse."

"No, it's not you, Hades. I don't think it could ever be you." I sighed and bit my tongue at my remark and how she would take it.

She entered a room lined with clothing and turned her back to me as she started unclipping her himation. I could hear the plink, plink, plink as she dropped the fibulae in a dish and began to slip out of her peplos. I saw the flash of her pale back before I turned away, the blood draining from my face.

I shouldn't care about her skin, about seeing her without clothing, because it was commonplace in Olympus. Regardless, it felt different with Hades. I was in turmoil with guilt about my dreams and thoughts of her. I cleared my throat lightly, in some vague attempt to dispel my thoughts or get rid of the knot in my throat, I didn't know.

Hades came back in a simple black peplos, her shoulders and arms bare. "I make a terrible god of riches, don't I? I hate the costumes, the jewelry. It's all for show."

I said nothing.

She looked away from me and sat on a settee. "Please, sit with me, Persephone. I'm terrible for not offering sooner."

How could I refuse? I sat with her, but I still couldn't trust myself to speak, not after my last remark she decided not to reply to.

She brushed a lock of hair off my shoulder and I tensed. "Persephone, I don't like seeing you upset. It's the last thing I want."

"It's not your fault. It's just... me. I swear."

"You are different from us. You know that and we know that. You don't have to be like us to be accepted. You don't have to change. In fact, I think you're wonderful as you are."

"Thank you."

"You will feel much better once Achlys' effect wears off. It was thoughtless of them to not warn you. I'll speak to them." Hades paused and leaned back to chuckle to herself. "The look on your face when they wanted you to stay longer. I have to agree, they can be overbearing. I take it that socializing isn't your favorite activity?"

"No, not at all." I shook my head. "The Olympians are all about parties and gatherings that involve drinking for just about any occasion you could possibly think of. I hated all of it and although I enjoy being around Hecate and the others, I can't stand wasting time with idle talk. Particularly because it reminds me of Olympus, which is something I'd rather forget right now. "

"That's completely understandable. I'll make soft suggestions to them about how to handle engagements with you, if that's okay."

"I am so grateful for what you have done and for them for trying to accept me. I just feel terrible for feeling this way. It's hard to articulate."

"You have been through much lately. They need to understand that." Hades took my hand and squeezed it softly to reassure me. "Would you like to see something?"

"Will this be dangerous?"

Hades pulled me to stand after her, sudden enough to make me lose balance and stumble into her chest. She had to steady me by my waist as she laughed. "Would it matter if it was?"

I don't think I had ever blushed as deeply as I did then. I sputtered something that was somewhere in between a "yes" and a "no" as she pulled me out of her room, her bare feet skipping across the stone.

"To properly answer your question, no, this won't be dangerous in the least." She took a sudden turn at an intersecting hallway. "But first, we need to stop by the kitchens."

"What for?"

"Apples to appease them."

"Them?" I asked cautiously.

"You'll see!" She pulled me into the kitchen.

The heat surprised me once again, but for the first time since I arrived in the Underworld, I didn't feel cold. It was probably the running we just did, but Hades' hand felt warm around mine.

"My ladies!" Some of the kitchen staff gasped as we entered. "We didn't expect you!"

"I need a bunch of apples."

"Of course!"

"Are they for..."

"Yes, but it's a surprise for Persephone. She doesn't know."

"I'm getting very suspicious about you. You could be leading me into a trap for all I know."

"Oh, you know I would never do that! You have little faith."

A bag was handed to her. She removed a flawlessly red apple and took a bite, then offered it to me. "It's delicious."

I took it because I felt like I couldn't refuse and she watched me as my teeth sunk into its skin. Although it shouldn't have mattered, something felt extremely personal about the act, of my mouth touching where hers had been and how she watched me eat it.

"They will be sure to love them. Thank you!" Hades waved goodbye to them and took my hand again.

Even as I took another bite of the apple, I heard the spirits whispering over the crunch.

"I don't think I've ever seen Hades so happy."

My heart broke when I heard it, though I didn't outwardly show it. How lonely it must have been for her, how terrible to be cast down here practically as a punishment for nothing, but my father had always been a bastard. Even then, my heart warmed hearing that Hades was finally happy, and how it was because of me.

"What could possibly need apples down here?"

"You'd be surprised at how many things live here, Persephone. Be patient. You will meet them shortly." Hades pulled me through the rest of her palace, weaving through passageways without faltering, until we left the maze of her home through some back exit.

"It's... bright."

Hades squinted as she looked up to the sun rising into the edge of the Underworld's sky. "Oh, that's just Hemera visiting her mother. She does that every few days. They're quite close despite living in different realms. It's nice."

"There is a sun in the Underworld? Forgive me, I'm stunned."

"Hemera is the goddess of the day and the sun tends to follow her, so when she visits Nyx, a sun shows up here too. Did you think it was always night time here?"

"Actually, yes."

Hades chuckled. "It was very strange for me to get used to it as well. She must be just arriving. Come, I wouldn't want you to miss your first sunrise down here."

I followed her as we made our way up a stone staircase carved from the stone of the Underworld itself. Once over the hill, I spotted another massive building below us. "Is that where we're going?"

"Yes!" Hades skipped down the hill and took the handle of the huge door and slid it open. "Now, remember, they wouldn't dare harm one of my friends, despite what they might look like."

The building was completely dark and seemed empty from the way the sound of the door echoed back several times. Then, I heard heavy sniffing. Suddenly, several torches lit simultaneously and Hades' hand touched my shoulder to reassure me.

"Those," I started carefully, "are no normal horses."

Hades threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, come now, Persephone. I'm a god. Since when do any of us have normal horses? Poseidon isn't very different from... well, you know that better than I do, probably."

I chuckled weakly as I took the sight in. The two horses that stood before us were massive, larger than any horses I had ever seen, and pure black. Their coats gleamed as they shifted impatiently in front of us. One leaned down to sniff the bag in Hades' hand, revealing its red eyes and mane made of black flame. Hades reached into the bag and offered an apple to it and the horse took the fruit between its white teeth gently before backing away to eat it. The other stamped its feet and tried to move closer to Hades, but she held out her hand and it quieted. She dug around in the bag and gave an apple to me to give to the other horse.

I held out my hand gingerly and murmured, "Here you go."

This horse, as impatient as it was, still took the fruit gently, as I only felt its lips brush my palm for a brief moment.

"Aren't they beautiful?" Hades smiled as she ran a hand over one of their coats. "These are the horses that pull my chariot. Also, if you're wondering, no, the flames don't burn us."

"So they are descended from my uncle, I take it?"

"An apology gift after the lots were drawn." Hades rolled her eyes. "I still love them, though."

"They are beautiful," I nodded my agreement.

"Can you ride?"

"Of course."

"Bareback?" Hades grinned mischievously.

"I don't think I like where this is going," I said, but next thing I know, Hades pushed me up onto one of the horses and leaped onto the other and galloped out of the stables. My horse followed her without my direction and I was forced to lean down and hold on to its neck securely.

"They don't even have a mane to hold on to!" I yelled after Hades, my horse gaining on hers with ease as we raced up rolling hills of gray earth.

"Isn't that what makes it exciting?"

"I thought you said this wasn't going to be dangerous!"

"It's perfectly safe!" Hades slowed her steed to a stop as we reached the top of quite a large hill. "Let's stop here." She slid off her horse with ease and helped me off of mine, holding my waist until my feet touched the ground. "It's a good place to watch the sunrise."

The hill did have quite a view of much of the Underworld, different rivers reflecting the pink light as it stretched above the horizon. "Why is there nothing here?"

"The Underworld is vast beyond imagination. Everything is spread out and accessible in different ways, which is why we have to travel as I did with you earlier. I assume Hecate did the same as well. Do you see the light on the horizon that way?" She pointed in a direction opposite of the rising sun.

"Yes."

"That's Elysium. And that purple light over there is where Hypnos and his family reside."

"Thanatos?"

"No, he lives elsewhere. I meant Hypnos and his children, Morpheus, Phobetor, Phantasos, and all the rest of the Oneiroi."

"Hypnos seems to be quite... busy."

Hades looked bemused at my remark. "He's married to Pasithea."

"She's one of the Charites, is she not? Don't they all live in Olympus?"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't consider Hypnos and Pasithea close."

I raised my eyebrows. "Ah, marriage."

Hades chuckled. "It's a shame so many of us are paired with people we do not love. I suppose it's not surprising why they decide to see others."

"Were you ever paired with someone else?"

"I am not wed, no."

It was a strange way to answer my question but I turned away to watch the sunrise and handed each of the horses an apple. "It is very beautiful up here. Thank you for showing me."

I was startled when her fingers brushed against my shoulder. She withdrew them quickly when she noticed I had tensed. "Well, I want to make your stay here as bearable as possible."

I glanced over at her quickly, trying to take in the sight of her bathed in golden pink light and commit it to memory. I didn't think I had ever seen someone as beautiful as her, not even Aphrodite. "I think it's more than bearable."

"I want you to get more comfortable here before I show more of the Underworld to you. As much as I would like it to be, the Underworld is not flawless. There are lots of creatures that are tucked away in the crevices of this place that don't wish to be discovered. I would much rather you not have to deal with them at all."

"Don't they all serve you?"

"Serve me? Oh, no, certainly not." She took in my confused expression. "It would be unfair to them. I was only appointed to rule this place because I won the war. The Underworld is so ancient and many of its residents were here long before I was. I let them keep to themselves if they stay civil. I think I forgot to mention this in Olympus, but did you know that each of the rivers of the Underworld have their own gods?"

"Really?"

"Styx, Acheron, Lethe, Cocytus, and Phlegethon, yes. It is said that Styx was in love with Phlegethon but she was consumed by his flames and sent here, where their rivers could join and flow together."

"Is that true?"

"Who am I to say? It happened before I was here."

I smiled at her with admiration. "You are an interesting woman, Hades."

"As are you." She paused for several moments. "It's interesting that I only saw Lampades in Hecate's home. Hecate probably told them to leave while you visited."

"Only?"

"Hecate has many, many different kinds of beings that follow her. The Lampades are her torch-bearing nymphs, but also daimones like the Empusai, Lamiae, and Mormolykeia."

"What are they?"

"Vampires. They disguise themselves as beautiful women and drink the blood of men, but they are different. Lamiae have snake-like tails instead of legs, Empusai have flaming hair and one donkey leg and one bronze leg, and... Oh, Persephone, don't look that way! You must learn to be more accepting. You can't blame them for only doing what they need to do to survive. Most of them prefer wearing their disguises all the time, should you ever meet one of them."

The thought was still unsettling and I frowned. "I hope the men deserve it."

"I'm sure most of them do. Oh, that reminds me. What did you think of Cerberus?"

"What?"

"My dog! He guards the gates of the Underworld."

"I didn't see a dog when I arrived, but I was so tired that maybe I didn't notice him."

"Oh, you would most definitely notice him. This is troubling. I need to check on him. Would you like to come?"

"I guess so."

Hades looked over to the horses and dumped the rest of the apples onto the ground. "I want you two to share these equally and return to the stables when you're ready."

I was surprised when both of the horses nodded their understanding, but Hades grabbed my hand and pulled me away from them and closer to her. Tendrils of darkness snaked up our legs until it blacked out the sunrise and then we were at the gate of the Underworld.

"He's supposed to guard the Underworld against the living and other people who don't belong. He should have been wary of you."

"He wasn't here, I swear."

"Cerberus?" Hades called and waited as she listened. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called his name again, this time as more of a yell. We waited again until I started hearing a rhythmic thumping sound. "He's coming."

A dog with three heads appeared in the distance, running towards us and steadily growing larger and larger. It stopped in front of Hades and its three heads towered over us, taller than the massive gate we stood in front of.

"You're right. I wouldn't have missed him." I tried not to shrink back in fear knowing that Hades would never let anything happen to me, but Cerberus was just so... large. The three heads all had gleaming white teeth as tongues rolled out of their mouths haphazardly.

Hades reached up to pet him and the three heads lowered to let her reach. "Well, I'm glad you're okay, Cerberus, but that doesn't tell me why you weren't here to stop Persephone. She is a friend, but she could have been an assassin trying to kill me, for all you know. I'm thinking I might need to fire you, Cerberus." She laughed, clearly joking, but it was strange that I hadn't even seen him if it was his job to keep people out.

In response, one of the heads looked at me, sniffed, and turned away, dismissively.

"Apparently, I'm not deemed a threat."

Hades scratched the three heads lovingly and I could only watch and remember how she stroked her horses, or how much she cared about my wellbeing. Hades clearly had love in her heart, for all the things in the Underworld, and it was amazing how someone so hated, feared, and betrayed could be this way.

"You must have known about her, didn't you?" Hades murmured to Cerberus, low enough for me to have to strain to hear. "You must have known she belongs here."

I pretended I hadn't heard it, but I was stricken. She sounded so sure about me despite all my doubts about myself and this place.

My line of thought was disrupted when one of Cerberus' heads noticed the flora growing around my feet and started to nip at it playfully. I quickly stepped backwards as the other heads followed suit.

"You aren't used to seeing that around here, aren't you, boy?" Hades laughed but caught my hand and pulled me closer to her. "Do you know what any of those are?"

"No, I'm afraid not. I haven't seen anything like these before."

Hades stooped to pluck a white flower that was blooming near my leg and showed it to me, twisting the stem between her thumb and forefinger like she had done with the narcissus I had given her in Olympus. "This is an asphodel flower. It's one of the only things that grows here."

"What came first, the flower or the Fields?" I smiled but froze as she tucked the small, white flower behind my ear.

"Another mystery." She gazed at my face for a brief moment before withdrawing her hand.

"There seems to be many of those here." I frowned, wanting to know more about the realm, slightly unhappy with her lack of answers.

"Ah, but didn't you know everything about everything related to the heavens?" Hades rolled her eyes at the name.

"Most of it."

"And you found it boring, did you not? This realm has its mysteries and that's part of the magic of it." Hades turned away from me to give Cerberus a leveled stare. "We have something here that needs protecting. You need to do better about guarding the gates."

His heads nodded slowly.

"Now, let's go home."

"Home?" I echoed her word as more of a question than anything.

Hades seemed to blush. "Oh, I just meant my home. I apologize for assuming anything."

"It's fine." I waved my hand dismissively. "Where's Charon, by the way? Actually, now that I think of it, where's the river near here?"

"There isn't a river near here."

"Then how did..." I trailed off as I looked around suspiciously, making sure the gate looked the same as it did when I arrived in the Underworld. "It was right here. I may have been tired but I know it was. Charon ferried me across the river and dumped me on the shores of your palace."

Hades' eyes shined with amusement as she shrugged.

* * *