It was Saturday and Persephone didn't have to come in for work and she was grateful. Her late night out had her feeling as if she was run over by a car. But the positivity of the singing birds outside her window seemed to refuel her energy as she sat up in bed, hair sticking up at all angles and a little bit of drool on her chin.

She rubbed her eyes to get rid of the gunk and looked to her right, reaching for the water bottle that was always there. Instead, she found her hands gripping a piece of fragile paper and she brought it to her face.

To 'Persephone' Kore,

Her memories of what she had done last night resurfaced and she turned the page over, where the familiar curve of letters filled the page.

My love, my little flower bud,

I don't want to leave you here in this inferior place with mediocre mortals.

He has loved you since the beginning of your existence, but I know His brothers' ways and I refuse to allow Him to treat you like that. None of them are good enough for you.

You are too precious to grow up in the mess that is your home, so I have placed you here.

I will always be there for you if you need help, you need only ask. And assisting me in maintaining your safety, Helios and Selene will watch over you as well, I trust them to not disclose anything to Him.

I know you don't understand any of this right now, but you will one day, I can only hope that it is not because of Him.

I know you have great things in store for you, I pray that you make good decisions.

I have loved you and will forever love you no matter what.

Underneath all of the words was a stamp with an odd shape. The outline of 3/4 of a circle, the open part facing up and a line leading down from the bottom of it, to a triangle, and in the middle of the line leading down was another line perpendicular to it. The sign of Demeter.

She lifted her finger and traced the image, her mind filling with so many unanswered questions that always made themselves known after she read the letter again.

Who was the man her mother kept referring to? What does she mean to just ask her? How was she meant to do that?

Raking a hand over her face, Persephone pulled herself out of bed and went to grab her phone, a smile lighting up her face as she saw that the first message was from Hades.

Last night, their conversation somehow drifted comfortably away from the dreary topic, and they had exchanged numbers, Hades somehow convincing her to go out with him.

Well, not really convincing, rather asking and her almost immediately complying. It was scheduled for that afternoon and she was already panicking on what to wear. Her phone started ringing and she almost threw it across the room out of surprise.

The name on the screen flashed, 'Ric' and for some reason, there were no butterflies present in her stomach.

"Hi, Aric." She swiped the answering button.

"Pez, I was just wondering if you wanted to catch up over a cup of coffee sometime next week?" Aric sounded nervous and she couldn't help but wonder why.

"For sure Ric, who else is going?" She opened her wardrobe to stare at her clothes to try and figure out what to wear.

"Uhm, it'll just be the two of us, you know, best friend to best friend." He chuckled nervously and Persephone frowned in confusion. He hadn't called her that in maybe a couple of years.

"Oh, ok then." She heard him breath out a sigh of relief.

"Right, well, see you then." With that he hung up the phone, and she was left staring at it in confusion.

"Alright then," She muttered to herself before looking back at her outfit choices.

---

A pink tank top and denim jeans. She had almost decided against the jeans as they accentuated what she saw as her imperfections, her thick hips and thighs. There were rips in the jeans and that for some reason made her feel even more self-conscious than she did while wearing a clubbing dress.

The doorbell rang and her heart pounded, her forehead beginning to sweat. She looked disgusting, not suitable for a date with someone like him.

She walked to the door anyway and opened it, greeted by the smell that she had become to associate with him, the smell of a cypress tree. It was mixed with the smell of narcissus flowers as he held the bouquet, in front of him and towards her.

Her favourite flower.

A grin spread on her face and she took the flowers, inhaling them and feeling her heart stutter.

"Come in while I get a vase." Persephone smiled at the man at her door as he stared at her, amazed at how she still managed looked magnificent in such a casual outfit.

Turning around she walked to the kitchen, careful not to touch any part of the actual narcissus.

Fiding a vase, she filled it and Hades looked around, "It's a beautiful place," he mused.

"I haven't actually changed any of the decorations or designs of this place since I moved here." Persephone softly laughed, shaking her head.

Hades hummed and Persephone moved to put the flowers in a vase. Watching the beautiful specimen before him, Hades began to frown at the look of dread that crossed her face. Following her gaze, he tilted his face in fascination.

The white and yellow flowers had begun to wilt wherever she touched it, drooping down and slightly resembling an oxidised apple. They were dying, dying from only a touch of the Goddess of Spring.

Her eyes filled with tears as they stared at the death that she had caused, why was she like this? No one else she knew had flowers withering at one touch.

She hated herself, she hated that she felt a sickening sense of sadistic pleasure when she watched something so beautiful, wilt and die. The destruction of something so beautiful.

"Seph?" Hades noticed her tears and approached her in worry.

"I-I don't understand, why am I like this?" She stared at her hands in disgust.

"Baby, there's nothing wrong with you." He reached out to hold her hands in his large ones.

"I love flowers, yet I kill them with a mere touch, what isn't wrong with me?" She looked up to stare at his molten lava eyes, her green orbs never being brighter.

"It's ok, it's ok," Hades repeated as he comforted her as she collapsed into him, sobbing.

---

"I'm sorry I've already dampened the mood." Persephone had stopped crying a while ago and was able to convince Hades that she was well enough for them to still go out.

They now sat in his car, which Persephone assumed was very expensive considering how it looked and her limited amount of knowledge on cars.

"How did you dampen the mood?" Hades looked comfortable as he steered the car with ease, body leaning back, one hand on the steering wheel and the other tapping on his knee, itching to hold her hand in his own.

"I cried." She tried to avert her attention from the evident muscles that were on display under his black, fitting polo and denim jeans that looked as if they match her own.

Damn, the Gods had spared no expense.

"You didn't dampen the mood, you were upset, that's a very valid reason for someone to cry." He tried to smile in comfort but she didn't look at him.

"Yeah but I cry all the time." She scowled at herself, staring out the window.

"So what? Who's going to do anything about it? You can cry as much as you want." His words trying to bring comfort to the girl beside him.

She only sighed.

Hades began to panic, this was not how he planned the start of the first date with his Queen to go.

"I'm guessing you want to know what happened back there don't you?" Persephone turned to look at him.

"Only if you're ready to tell me." He glanced at her as she looked at him with big green eyes.

"Do you mind if I not tell you right now?"

"Goddess, my opinion in this doesn't matter, this is all up to you, I respect your decisions and choices." At this, she began to smile, he even had a great personality.