Hades and Persephone (Part 1)

(This Piece is based on an incredible artist; check out his Insta: @art_the_f_up for the Spidrien Series that gave birth to this story) Thank you Art for the inspiration, enjoy!

There was no spring breeze to dance between my long dark blue hair, yet my fingers couldn’t stop combing through the ends. Biting the corner of my lip gazing around the large living room, well at least I believe it's a living room. 

A fire-crackled filling the stiff silence, pastries delicately enticing my cotton dry mouth. Reaching over to inspect the delicate treats on the glittering silver tray I can’t help notice the guard shift by the large golden crested doors. 

Funny, up until now I was sure the guard was a statue. 

The doors swing open hastily and in strolls, my captor, Hades'. Slamming a slim black book closed between his hands. His green eyes gleam brighter than the raging fire held in the hearth.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, oh NO don’t eat that!” Hades leaps forward slapping the tiny cupcake from my delicate fingers. A tattoo swirls across his skin, like a fish beneath clear calming waves, on his upper right bicep. Stepping back it’s hidden beneath his soulless pitch black cloak. Snapping back in an instant, his eyes roam the room, muttering an apology beneath his breath. “I wouldn’t eat anything from down here unless you plan on staying down here forever.” Hades gives a signal to the guard by the door, without a word the guard comes alive. Giving a salute the armored guard marches off, the large doors shutting in his wake. 

A brow raised, eyes narrowed, and arms crossed I study my captor in all his glory. The infamous rumors of Hades' circled the townspeople like fire, everyone seemed to have an unpleasant experience with the Greek god. If the rumors proved to be true there may not be an easy way to escape. If it came down to it, him vs. me, I might have to fight dirty, luckily Ares’s last visit taught me a thing or two. Hades flops down on a large velvet chair across from the large sofa engulfing me. Setting his slim black book on the coffee table beside him, he sinks back sighing a hefty breath in relief. His black cape obscures his shoulders and arms, swaddling his body in a way that looks oddly comforting -like a human child wearing adult size clothing.

“I sent my guard to fetch you some water and food from above the surface. If you need anything don’t hesitate to ask me, or anyone down here. You are our guest and well we don’t get too many lively ones around here.” A low chuckle escapes his lips, his eyes roaming over every inch of my body. An uneasy shiver scales down my spine, his eyes seem to burn a hole through my chest. Glancing away, I choose to study the intricate details of the floorboards surrounding me. A short cough alerts me he is just as uncomfortable, good. 

“I bet you’re wondering why I brought you down here,” Hades' says in a soft low voice, a voice that doesn’t quite suit his reputation. Glancing back at those burning green eyes he takes my silence as a cue to continue. 

“Well-ugh,” clearing his throat he pushes through. “I occasionally visit the surface world to collect debts from those humans that choose to sell their souls, or to piss off my brothers.” Again a chuckle resonates deep within his chest bellowing out between his teeth. Is this greek God really trying to crack jokes at a time like this?! Pursing my lips together, I lean back against the fluffy cushions. I’m never getting out of The Underworld, I’ll be lucky if I get out of this conversation!

“Sorry sorry, not the time to be joking around,” he throws up his hands in defense, a sly grin creeping across his features completely unapologetic. “I brought you down here because your life is in danger, someone is trying to kill you.” The words echo off the walls, a loud silence drapes over the two. “Someone is trying to kill you.” The words bounced around my skull on repeat. My arms slide down to rest in my lap, leaning forward I open my mouth to spew a million questions- but nothing comes out. Instead, I sit there frozen mouth hanging open like a damn trout. How do you know this? Who would want to kill me? Who could kill a greek Goddess anyways, how do I know the person isn’t you? Say something, anything. 

“Aa-how- how...” I stutter.

The double doors swing back open and in strolls a cart filled with food, wine, and water. Great perfect timing! Oh wow, that’s a lot of food, are we having a feast to celebrate my supposed assassination? Or, how long does he expect me to stay down here?

“Oh great the food is here, lets get you something to drink, hell only knows you need one right now!” With that Hades' stands up and begins to make himself a poisonous concoction for himself, while the guard pours a glass of wine and hands it to me, without a single word.

After a few hours of drilling questions only to get laid-back replies, I’m ready to scream and punch Hades'’ smug face, but the guard watching my every move holds me back. That and the fact Hades'’ is most likely the only person I can trust right now.

“I need some air.” I blurt out. Choking on his drink he leans forward running a hand through his golden locks while his eyes dart around the room searching for an answer. 

“Ugh, well I can’t take you up to the surface right now but I can show you around the Palace or I can show you your chambers?” The air in the room feels stifling I push off the sinking cushions in frustration, I stumble forward crashing into his broad chest. Ahh I did not just stumble into Hades'. No no, -wait is he sporting an eight-pack beneath his clothes? Is the God of the underworld ripped? Leaping back arms outstretch yet centimeter from his chest I can’t help but feel heat soar to my face. He sports a puzzled expression before that chastise grin settles back into place. The fire’s flames engulf me, heat escapes my pores. I need to get out of this room, I need to get away from him! 

The underground palace was something out of a child’s nightmare. Beings of destruction walked, slithered, crawled, hopped, clawed across the grounds. Hades glides beside me occasionally pointing out The Underworld’s “amenities”. Glancing behind my shoulder after every corner we pass, I can’t help shake the eerie feeling that something is lurking in the shadows following close behind us. From the corner of my eye, I catch a shadow dart across the black column. 

Spinning on my heels, fear propelling invincible thoughts on repeat, You got this, you got this. I shift into a fighting stance. Narrowing my eyes, I brace my body. The shadow moves like water, using the columns it slinks its way towards us. In a blink of an eye, we are only a few feet apart. The column separates us, raising my arms toward my face, I’m ready for the first blow. 

Hades whispers behind me causing my hair to brush against my left cheek. “Are you attempting to battle against an underling? Let me spoil the ending for you my goddess, you won’t win, EVER! They’re already dead so you’re wasting your energy.” Hades shuffles shielding his body in front of me. Bellowing out in a voice that sends me on edge, “Halt, introduce yourself before I send you to the Malice Pit.” His words hang heavy in the prolonged silence. A shuffling noise followed by a beastly growl rumbles the floating pillars, keeping us suspended over the vast ocean of molten lava. 

{Stay tuned for part 2}

Road Trips

My fingers glide over last names and colored bindings enticing me with splendid images, the words begin to float off the shelves and wrap around my dress. I pick a few thick books underneath a bright yellow book fair sign. Sliding them across the check-out counter, a withered Liberian sends a questioning look at the older books in front of a small brunette child. I smile impatiently my toes tapping against the dirty worn-out carpeted floor, my mother passes through the double doors kicking on the overhead ac to rattle like chains dragging against a concrete floor. My mother rolls her eyes scolding me, “Viv, I can’t buy you any more books these have to last the rest of the vacation!” She slips out a wadded ball of cash, giddy I twirl around snatching the pillar of Stephen King books, rushing out the double doors. I’m met with the heat rising off the gooey Arizona asphalt causing sweat to drip down my back. Making a dash for our packed van, my worn-out sandals slap against the road shaking loose grains of sand that trail behind me- like tiny breadcrumbs.

I see your chubby red grin from the tinted window, letting out your infectious giggle from the inside you stick out your tongue pushing a podgy tiny finger against the black pop-up lock.

I rap my foot against the door leaning my back against the hot metal bindings of the car behind me. I give you a look that plays all too familiar across my features since the start of our adventure to Santa Monica. Tumbleweeds graze past a stranded rusty automobile just a few yards away, sweat drips off my brow. My begging voice echoes off the desolate town in between nowhere and somewhere. “LET ME IN!” With a hesitated smirk and a knowing of payback in the near future, you lean forward unlocking and swinging open the door. Jumping straight in I place the books in piles around our “cabin” for the next few days. Leaning into a small vent my brunette curls bounce behind my ears in the wisp of the cool air. After a few minutes of pure bliss, my fingers fiddle impatiently in my lap scrunching up my floral pink summer dress. Peering out the window I watch the two familiar figures walk back to our car sharing a brief kiss before parting to get on either side. My mother shifts in her seat pulling out her navy-blue neck pillow, covering her features, I watch her thin fingers comb through the console searching for the half-empty bottle of colorful Tums. The turning keys bring forth the infuriating beeps of seatbelt warnings before settling down letting the slight hum of the engine find a rhythm with the radio. You turn your attention knowing it won’t be long till my head is lodged into another book and you become an only child again. “Sissy please can we play for the rest of today and tomorrow, I pinky promise I will leave you alone and play on my PS4 quietly until lunch dinner time.”

Wrapped sweaters hang from the back windows blocking out the falling sun letting our imagination take fold. Stuffed animals come to life between our youthful wide eyes, forgetting the world around us we leap to adventures filled with fire breathing dragons, superheroes vs supervillains, pirates lost on an unforgivingly harsh sea. We play endlessly until we pull into a brightly light Marriott hotel for the night. You look up with droopy eyes as we interlace pinkies promising to pick up again tomorrow.

My Untasteful Summer Mishaps

(Braided Writing: take at least three different narratives, each of whom has his or her own story, and then interweave and converge at or near the climax of the book.)

Giovanna leaps off the connected tubes helping her older cousin to her feet before she turns around to grab the empty tube, that’s when her eyes land on a very noticeable rip on her older cousins’ swimsuit right on her butt. I hear a sudden erupt of laughter behind me, shooting my cousin a puzzled look over my shoulder. I follow her gaze and to my horror see my bathing suit torn right down the middle of my butt. 

Ian and Giovanna twitch in the harsh leather seats trying in vain to get comfortable, their bright red skin makes sickening sticky noises when they peel their legs up to let some air in under their legs. I squirm in the front seat the California sun beats against my legs irritating the itchy sunburn. Leaning forward I turn the AC on full blast as my mother chastises us for the hundredth time that we should have worn sunblock. 

Pam works her fingers massaging the olive oil deep into her granddaughter’s sunburnt shoulder blades, sighing deeply as she lets the last drop slip over her oily hands saying under her breath, “Now I’m craving a salad.” I let the olive oil glide all over my shoulder blades, the cooling relief brings forth a fresh breeze of comfort. My grandmother leans back and walks towards the small fan in the corner pointing it towards my naked oily body. 

Erwin carried the heavy yellow board up the wooden steps, at last at the 4th landing he peers behind his shoulder at his two-beat red children slowly climbing up behind him, chuckling while his wife took pictures of them. I step forward on shaky legs, holding my breath letting the water splash down, I hear my father yell out, “it’s not that bad it just looks like a death drop but it will be fun!” Gripping onto the handles I send the lifeguard a shaky head nod, the plunge erupts a Hollywood scream from my vocal cords causing the whole water park to freeze and stare at my dropping body skip atop the water’s surface.

Sean’s stomach climbs up his throat as he gains speed down the rickety blue water slide the tarp under him shoots off underneath his weight just as he rounds a harsh corner. I grip my fingers tighter against the slide’s walls, the water rushes against my thighs wanting to push me down the slide into the pool, my smile grows across my face when a deserted tarp speeds towards me, I roll my eyes as Sean comes grinning around the corner crashing into me. We share a mischievous look before we hear the piercing whistle sounds echoing around us, giggling like children we continue our childhood antics. 

One Unfortunate Night

Your fingers dig through my soaked long sleeve t-shirt, your body trembles wrapped up in my coat- like a baby in my arms. It was a bad idea; we were reckless and young and because of a bottle of whiskey, we thought we were invincible, that nothing could hurt us not even our past. I should have stopped us; I shouldn’t have opened the broken screen door, just because we wanted to revisit our past blissful memories, beside a lake that had raised our own complicated relationship. I shouldn’t have flirted with you in the first place, I shouldn’t have invited you to the cabin. But most importantly, I should have watched our steps before you fell into the frozen vast lake. The same lake where we once shared our first kiss under a star-filled sky ten summers ago, the same lake I professed my love for you under a bright full moon, much like the one above us now. 

You grow deathly pale matching the crystalized ice that blocks me from pulling you out right away. The deathly frigid water holds you captive, your eyes growing wide in terror below the clear surface. Your palms thump softly atop the frozen expanse above you, without hesitation I raise my fists bringing them down, each pound reverberating like a lone drum. A slight crack and split of the ice below my bloody fists bring a drunken sigh of relief before I thrust my arms deep into the lake pulling you out. 

The banging screen door can be heard through the mild blizzard swirling around our heads. Your face is growing pale. Your wet brunette locks cling to your face. The outline of those once pink flushed lips, turning to an ugly shade of bluish-purple. The same color of the hickeys I would leave marked up and down your neck. Shifting your body in my arms I try to cover your face, but the wind is relentless blowing from every angle. Stumbling, I try to follow our footprints retracing the path to our little hidden warm cabin. 

“S-s-stay with me-e.” I barely whisper but I know even if the howling wind wasn’t roaring in our ears, you’re slowly slipping away from me. Blinking my eyes for the millionth time, I feel the world sway around me. Our poison forcing my brain to shut down, to give in, and lay atop the numbingly cold white fluffy clouds surrounding me. To rest my sore frigid arms for just a second. My feet shuffle onward having a mind of their own before they come in contact with a large object, tumbling forward I face plant into a thick pile of snow. A spew of curse words spills out on my descent. 

Rising back up slowly my eyes shut tightly while I dig my bloody nailbeds deeper into the ground. And what can only be described as dinner along with the whiskey climbs up my throat painting a picture on the once blank white canvas before me. Wiping my dry mouth, I scan my wiry eyes for your body wrapped up in my coat. Spotting your figure, I trudge forward lifting you back into my arms. I start to take a step forward when I notice your stilled lips. Craning my head toward your lips my heart stops when the familiar soft breath doesn’t come. My heart hammers against my rib cage and I start to feel completely sober. I shift your stiff body in my arms pushing my numb purple fingers against your frosted neck. I wait and wait; each second your heartbeat doesn’t sound mine does double as if my heart was calling yours to awaken again.