It was said that this castle was of such immense beauty that Zeus himself had lamented the fact that Mt. Olympus paled in significance when compared to his younger brother’s castle. Thus it was a good thing that only the dead could gain entry to the Underworld.
One day, Hades came upon his queen alone in their chamber, a forlorn look on her face. She stood next to the windows, a faraway look in her eyes.
“What is it, my love?”
She forced a smile. “Nothing, Your Majesty.”
He frowned. “Do not call me that.” Only mortals used the term, and he disliked it precisely for that reason.
“But you are a king, and I think you need to be reminded of the fact once in a while.”
When her lips formed a pout, Hades sighed. “Let me guess. I have done something again that you do not approve of.”
Persephone slowly shook her head. “I do not want you to think I am meddling in your affairs, but – I think you are being too lenient.”
“Lenient on whom?” Hades was genuinely puzzled.
“On your subjects.” When his expression became grim, she said quickly, “Yes, I know, you have been running the kingdom for countless millennia and I have only been with you for a few years. But Hades – perhaps that is also the reason why you are blind to the truth.”
“And what is this truth you speak of?”
She said in a small voice, “You listen to them more than you listen to me. And it does not seem right, do you not think? I am your Queen. And those men around you – they may be the judges of the court, appointed by the Crones, but they are not infallible.”
Hades came to stand behind his queen and, resting his chin atop her head, he said quietly, “You speak in riddles.”
“A-am I?” She bit her lip. “I do not mean to. It’s only because I’m young, and I’m unused to being caged—-” She whirled around when she heard him suck his breath. “No, Hades, I’m sorry! It was the wrong choice of word.”
“But it is the truth,” he said bitterly as he released her. “Do you not think that I am unaware of how cold you have become lately? Of how your sighs outnumber your smiles, and the way you constantly talk about the world above—-”
Persephone clasped his hands and pressed it tightly against her heart. “I am so sorry, my love. I did not mean to hurt you. It is just...I’m sad. I do not want to leave you, I will never wish to be apart of you but my love, please at least consider this.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t mind if I am forbidden to leave the Underworld, but—-could you perhaps reconsider opening our world to the others?”
“The underworld is called such for a reason—-”
“I know that, but I am not talking about mortals. I am talking about our kind. Gods. Goddesses. Our kind, Hades.”
“They are still living.”
She let go of his hands in frustration. “You are so rigid and inflexible on this, Hades! But I also know it’s not you who really think so. You love me, so of course you would want me to be happy. What’s stopping you are those judges, those wise old men who are nothing but dried up fools—-”
“Persephone!”
Tense silence broke out at the king’s sharp tone.
Hades could not believe that his gentle queen had spoken such words. She had changed so much in the years she was nearly unrecognizable. Yes, she was still enticingly beautiful as ever, but there the similarity ended.
The spontaneity, the docility, the warmth of her affection – all of it were gone.
Was this the real Persephone...or had the kind of life she was destined to lead as his queen turned her into this?
When her face started to crumble, Hades swore under his breath and he reached for her. “I am sorry, my love.” He pulled her into his arms, and she cried quietly against his chest. There were no words of recrimination, and if anything he hurt more because it was so.
Perhaps she was right.
Perhaps he had forgotten that the judges, for all their wisdom and grand age, were still not infallible. It was the judges who had decreed that no living should cross the Underworld but there had been exceptions throughout history and his realm had not shattered because of them.
So why could the exception not be turned into the rule?
“You are right,” he said quietly.
Persephone sniffed back tears. “About what?”
“There is no reason why we shouldn’t our kind come here.”
Her head jerked up at his words. “H-Hades? Are you saying what you think you’re saying?”
“I’m saying...perhaps you should throw a ball and send out invitations throughout the land to know—-” He laughed as with a cry of joy, his wife threw herself at him, her arms going around his neck and her legs locking around his waist.