Flower

"Stop, none of that now. I've been following your life closely. It's been quite fun to watch you honestly," Persephone chuckled.

"Please forgive me for previous actions and behaviors," Elizabeth kowtowed again.

"I said you don't need to do that," Persephone instructed again. "Also, your family is fine."

Persephone showed Elizabeth lives images of her children in school listening to lectures, and her husband talking to a beautiful woman in a gem mine.

"You watch us?" Elizabeth asked in embarrassment.

"Yes, it's a great sense of enjoyment for us gods! You, humans, lead such interesting lives!" Persephone said.

"Who is Will speaking with?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"Oh, she's a dragon priestess and Will's guide, much like Chrysanthemum. There's no need to be jealous," Persephone teased at Elizabeth's slight insecurity.

"I wasn't jealous, I was just curious," Elizabeth explained.

"Let's get to business, we do not have much time. My husband is a jealous god and doesn't take kindly to strangers. He is currently wearing a flower. That flower secretly has a recording device hidden in the stem.

You must give this flower to Mother, even if it cost you your life. There is important information about an impending great war! The gods in Elysium need this information or it could spell doom for humanity!" Persephone warned.

Hearing the goddess' warning Elizabeth became gripped with fear. Her arms filled with goosebumps and her knees knocked together. She fell to the floor sweating profusely.

"Why use me as a messenger?" Elizabeth asked fearfully.

"Because you have a rare strength and pure soul. You married a sinful man, but your soul remains pure," Persephone explained.

"Thankful?" Elizabeth said unsure whether Persephone complimented her or not.

"First, let's help you advance. Sit, meditate, I shall help guide your mana to help you breakthrough to the master rank," Persephone advised.

"Yes, goddess," Elizabeth said sitting down and crossing her legs.

"Light Mages are unique in how they break through. Unlike other casters who can break through in rank by attacking or defending with mana, Light Mages advance in rank by filling their bodies with light or holy mana.

I shall give you some of my holy mana and transfer to you, two master-rank spells [Sanctuary] and [Holy Aura]. Now focus on circling your mana through your meridians," Persephone instructed.

As Elizabeth circled her mana, she felt Persephone's holy mana enter her body.

Persephone holy mana felt like a warm spring day. Elizabeth felt like a budding flower on the warm spring day. She could feel the spring breeze and dew on budding petals.

She felt her mana pool open like a tulip, tasting the sun's comforting sun's rays. The holy mana filled her mana pool with ambrosia as she broke through to the master rank.

The ambrosia-like holy mana churned her mana pool as she felt her mana pool filling up like an empty teacup. Persephone pulled Elizabeth away like waning a suckling baby.

"You seemed to like my mana," Persephone laughed.

"Yes, it made me feel like a budding spring flower," Elizabeth said embarrassingly.

"I am the goddess of spring after all. Now let's see you use your two new spells," she said smiling warmly.

Elizabeth cast [Holy Aura] and immediately a one-kilometer aura surrounded her. It felt similar to Will's [Domain] spell, except she felt like she could now heal an entire company of soldiers while fending off an undead army.

Interestingly, Elizabeth saw flower shoots grow in the area of her aura.

"There's nothing I can do about the flowers I'm afraid. My mana is now inside you, and human mana pools cannot process godly mana.

Look at your skin, you see how it's changed. Your skin is not only free is scares, but also blemishes, and has a slight radiance to it. Sorry to say, but human men may begin to covet your beauty," the goddess apologized.

"I only care about my family, as long as I can protect them, I'm satisfied!" Elizabeth said resolutely.

"Good, now try [Sanctuary]," Persephone recommended.

Elizabeth cast the spell and a transparent golden array wrapped around her, spreading out for a kilometer. The spell felt immovable and comforting, like a child being embraced by their mother when scared.

"Congratulations, you have learned both spells!" Persephone praised her.

Suddenly a loud knock came at the door.

"Quickly, hide in my soiled laundry and make do not speak or my husband shall kill you," Persephone warned.

"Dearest wife, may I come in?" asked a booming voice.

Persephone immediately transformed back into her giantess form and gave her husband permission to enter.

"Did you go for walk this afternoon?" Hades asked.

"Yes, why?" Persephone asked defensively.

"I heard a rumor that a human and Dyad were spotted along a hidden trail. You don't happen to know anything about that do you?" Hades asked looking around her room for clues.

"The last visitor I had here was Hecate," Persephone reminded Hades.

"If you see that human woman do here a favor and kill her before my dog finds her," Hades said as Cerberus entered Persephone's room and began to sniff around.

The growling three-headed dog immediately caught Elizabeth's scent and looked around the room.

"Oh, it looks like she was her, but she left. Care to inform me what she was doing here?" Hades asked curiously.

"Honestly, I don't know why I gave you that flower this morning. Why did I try to do something nice for you, when you continue to disrespect and talk down to me?

If that human was here, she didn't speak to me. How do I know it was not one of your minions poking around, secretly spying upon me?

Give me the flower, I no longer wish for you to have something nice from me," Persephone said attempting to free herself from Hades' suspicion.

"I'm keeping the flower. I quite like it and it looks like Cerberus has lost the scent. What a shame, I could have given her to Thanatos as an early victory gift," Hades said watching his three-headed dog follow Elizabeth's scent into the forest.

"If you refuse to return my flower and you've said your piece, please leave me alone. If I must live in this damnable place, then I wish to do free from you and your family!" Persephone shouted angrily.

"Farewell, but be forewarned, Grandmother Nyx wishes to see you at dinner tonight. And you know how she gets when you ignore her," Hades said coldly, before leaving down a corridor.

"Argh, he's the worst. Count your blessings you were able to marry the man of your choosing. I'm locked away in the veritable fortress for another three months!" Persephone said frustratedly.

"Thank you for saving my life," Elizabeth said bowing gratefully.

"We still need to get that flower off his lapel," Persephone said pensively.

"Could you give him another flower?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, that would make him suspicious," Persephone said.

"Could you slip him a sleeping potion?" Elizabeth asked.

"I could but…but that would require I seduce him. And that's the last resort!" Persephone said shivering.

"All you need is for him to change clothes. Then Elizabeth can take the flower when the suit jacket is on the floor," Chrysanthemum said.

"How do you get him to change clothes?" Elizabeth wondered.

"I don't know? What if the mistress spills something on his jacket and agrees to clean the stain?" Chrysanthemum answered.

"I'm never that nice to him, he been suspicious," Persephone said.

"Then just start a fight with him and find a way to through the flower on the floor. Then Elizabeth and I can swap the flower out with a new one. That way he won't suspect a thing," Chrysanthemum advised.

"You're a genius!" Persephone said. "I should have thought of that when he was here. But what should I fight with him over?" Persephone questioned.

"Just ask him if he remembers what special day it is? Then when he doesn't answer, get upset. That'll make him flustered and put him on the defensive.

It'll also explain why you gave him a flower, and why you've been upset all day. That way you're justified to start an argument," Elizabeth said.

"Very good, here get ready!" Persephone encouraged. She rotated her wrist and a second rose lapel pin appeared.

"Hades!" she yelled angrily. "Get back in here now she screamed at the top of her lungs."

"What do you want now," she roared back angrily.

"Do you know why I can you that lapel today? Do you know what special day it is?" Persephone spat angrily.

Immediately Hades' angry attitude vanished as he began racking his brain for the right date.

"Ah, I'm sorry I forgot your birthday!" He consoled.

"You think it's my birthday? My birthday's in the spring. Don't you know that? How long have we been together, and you don't even know my birthday," Persephone said hitting Hades as he walked back into her room.

"Is it our anniversary?" Hades guessed.

"Wait you don't remember when our anniversary is either?" Persephone asked as he began hitting Hades.

"I don't know what special day it is, can you just tell me and I'll get you a present!" Hades said trying to stop Persephone from hitting him.

"It's the first day we kissed!" Persephone lied, knocking the rose lapel pin to the floor near her soiled clothes.

Elizabeth and Chrysanthemum quickly switched out the lapels without Hades knowing.

"The first day we kissed? Oh, now I remember, how could I forget. You wore that dress I like, and your hair was done up beautifully. You looked lovely that day," Hades lied, picked up his lapel pin, and backed away towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Persephone yelled.

"I'm going to get the present that I bought you yesterday, I'll be right back!" Hades said running off to purchase a present.

"Yay!" Chrysanthemum said excitedly.

"Here's the recording device," Persephone said taking out a cylinder from the rose's stem. "Go quickly, bring this to my mother. Oh, wait, cloak yourself in this to hide your scent from Cerberus."

Elizabeth immediately put the recording device in her Elven spatial ring, then she and Chrysanthemum wrapped themselves in Persephone's handkerchief and set off back to the forest.

As a master-ranked light mage, Elizabeth and Chrysanthemum were able to get through to the forest much faster and made their way back to the river.

However, when they got to the river, they saw Cerberus sniffing around a group of frightened Naiads.

Smelling Persephone's scent, Cerberus whipped its head around to examine the handkerchief.

Slowly, Elizabeth and Chrysanthemum moved towards the river, but before they could make it there Cerberus pounced on them.

Just before he attacked, Elizabeth cast [Sanctuary].

But Cerberus outranked Elizabeth and easily tore through the spell. But the spell delayed him, just enough for Elizabeth to jump into the river.

But Chrysanthemum didn't make it in time and ended up as the dog's chew toy. Elizabeth could hear Chrysanthemum withering in pain, as Cerberus continued to try and break her in half.

"Hurry leave!" Chrysanthemum yelled between painful screams.

Elizabeth swam to the other riverbank, where she looked back at her friend.

"Go, I'll be alright!" Chrysanthemum said sadly as her eyes began to dim.

Elizabeth hated herself for leaving Chrysanthemum behind, but there was nothing she could do as she closed the door behind her and raced back up the spiral staircase hoping she'd make it to the top before she was caught.

With a few days' head start, Elizabeth rarely slept or slowed down. Inside the stairwell, she did her best to continuously cast [Holy Aura] to prevent demons and skeletons from slowing her down.

After a week of running, Elizabeth finally made it out of the stairwell and back into the Citadel.

"Goddess Demeter, I've returned!" Elizabeth said holding up the recording device.

Elizabeth could feel time speed up around her, as the rest of the world slowed down. She watched as the Statue of Demeter came alive again.

Elizabeth handed the recording device to Demeter, before bowing to the statue.

"Well done! Thank you for completing such a dangerous task and congratulations on increasing your rank.

For your successful completion, I give you this necklace which shall help you advance in rank much faster, as well as the name you one of my handmaidens," Demeter said as the statute returned to normal.