Chapter Eight: Persephone speaking

'I am Persephone, dear child, and I shall help you pretend to be me for a month.' For a month? 'Why for only one month?' I thought. I nearly had a heart attack when Persephone replied to my thoughts again. 'Because after that month, you will have a choice. I will not tell you the choices now, it would weigh upon your mind like a death sentence.' All I could think in that moment was simply: '???' That made Persephone laugh. 'The only way I can communicate with you is through your thoughts, and it would be less suspicious if you did the same to talk with me.' To test this out, I thought 'can you hear me?' and she replied so I guess she did. 'Yes dear, I can hear you.' I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Hmm. Well, Hades summoned... us? So I'll go over to him..." I thought, a little confused. Persephone didnt say anything, so I started finding my way through the castle. Occasionally I would go to turn down a corridor, but Persephone would stop me. "No, no. Continue going straight ahead." At last (why is the castle so big?), I made it back to Hades room. I heard him muttering to a maid inside. "Can you see if she's here yet? She hasn't got lost again, has she?"

I knock. "Hades? Can I come in, please?" I call nervously. He opens the door, seemingly startled. "Yes, yes of course." He sits on his chair. Having no where else to sit, I sit cautiously at the edge of his bed. "What is it, Hades?" He looks so uncomfortable and worried. Hades sighs. "Well... I was just worried that you were trying to protect Apollo, when I came in because you had screamed at him..." I stare at him in amazement. "Oh Hades! There is no need to look so downcast. I'm fine, I told you." I say, giggling.

"Are you sure? Because... you said that you came looking for me because he left... but it seemed like you were trying to hide from him..." Hades murmurs, somehow still under the impression that Apollo wants to hurt me. I roll my eyes, smiling. "Hades. I'm fine, I promise. Dont worry so much..." He still looks upset. 'Go and hug him.' Persephone tells me. I'm momentarily caught off guard, but regain my posture and stand up.

"Hey..." I whisper, walking over to Hades silently. He looks up. "Hades... Are you crying?" I ask, surprised. He looks away again. "Oh, don't cry!" I say, and hug him tightly as Persephone suggested. Hades wraps his arms around me too. "Dont cry..." I mutter into his shoulder. "Please dont cry..."

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Five minutes later, Hades and I are sitting side by side at the edge of his bed, while I try to reassure him that Apollo didn't hurt me at all. Hades still refuses to believe me. I think he's trying to wait me down, to see if I start crying and tell him that Apollo broke my arm or something. I look at my watch and sigh. "I'll go now, Hades, it's getting late. Goodnight!" I get up, walk away, and head back to my - Persephone's - room.

I change into my pajamas - an oversized tee-shirt and leggings - and curl up on the bed. It only takes a matter of seconds to fall asleep, but I don't have any dreams. Instead, Persephone appears to talk to me. It's really dark, all around me. I guess thus us my mind, or Persephone's. "Good job, Annabelle, for your first day. You're handling this beautifully." I stare at her. "You are beautiful, Persephone!" She shakes her head. "No, Annabelle. Right now, this is how you look. You are the beautiful one here." I blush, becausr nobody has ever called me beautiful before. "O-oh... thank you..." I say nervously.

We spend a little while more.talking, getting more and more used to each other and not talking quite so formally anymore. Suddenly, Persephone glances at her watch and gasps. She dissappears for a second, then reappears, eyes wide. "Annabelle, you've got to wake up! It's 8am and people are getting really worried!" She cries, hurrying me towards a bright white doorway from somewhere in the darkness. "GO!"

I wake up to see a worried maid's face inches from my own. "Oh!" I cry, surprised. She smiles, and backs away, calling for Hades. "Master Hades! Master Hades! Mistress has woken up! Mistress is awake!" Hades comes skidding into the room at lighting speed, looking terrified. "PERSEPHONE! Are you okay, why were you sleeping for so long?!" Hades gushes and I shush him gently. "Shh. Hades, I'm fine. It's just because I went to sleep later than normal, I'm fine."

Hades really doesn't know how to take no for an answer. "I know, but you don't usually stay sleeping even if you go to bed later that normal..." I sigh, and stretch my arms as I sit up. "Hades, have you never heard of a lie-in? The humans do it all the time, and I thought I might try it out. Maybe you should, too. It helps with stress." I mutter, but Hades doesn't respond. I look up at him, just in time to see his arms flash around me. My eyes widen in surprise. "H-Hades..." I can't help but wrap my arms around him, too. I look at his face, and roll my eyes. He's fallen asleep! I smile lightly, and pull him onto my lap. The maid I saw earlier appears, carrying a blanket. I shake my head, and she leaves, smiling sheepishly.

As gently as possible, I pull Hades further onto the bed beside me, freezing in place when he mumbles in his sleep. Persephone is silent in my head, and she can tell I'm falling for Hades. I don't think Persephone was expecting that, I think she was relying on my assumed hatred of the Underworld. And I don't think she's very happy about it.