Chapter 21 : Kore

Hades scrolled through his phone while listening to his brothers chattering amongst themselves about their many coital escapades over the years. On any other day, the king of the underworld would have declined Zeus' invited to his house for a family luncheon but he had had a long freaking week, and needed a change of environment.

"That was the life huh," Zeus mumbled nostalgically, "I had a different nymph under my arm every other day, it was like tasting all the beautiful flavors of skittles."

"Marriage does limit the number of nymphs you can fool around with that's for sure," Poseidon commented as he took a swig of his beer.

"Isn't marriage suppose to cut the number of nymphs you fool around with to zero?" Hades asked his brothers after looking up from his phone for the first time all evening. "And you should be more careful about all this talk of fooling around, Hera and Amphitrite are right in the next room, what is wrong with you two?"

"Oh come on Hades don't be such a stick in the mud," Zeus chuckled, "do I love my beautiful little peacock Hera? Of course I do, but after hundreds of years with the same woman, you need to venture out a little bit, you know, get a taste of the other women so as to better appreciate your wife."

Hades leaned back on the sofa and shook his head, "it's true what they say, the freshest grapes grow for those who do not appreciate the taste of wine."

"There he goes again with his fancy word play," Poseidon laughed, "brother, could you please drop the etiquette and talk normal for tonight? You're with family after all."

"What I'm trying to say is you two bozos don't appreciate what you have."

Zeus scoffed. He leaned forward and gave Hades a taunting look, "isn't that a little prejudiced coming from someone who has never been married, you don't know what it's like. And I mean come on Hades, you've been with more nymphs than me and Poseidon combined, you think you're just going to drop that lifestyle at the flick of a ring finger?"

"If the fates bless me with a wife in this lifetime," Hades explained, "I would happily drop this lifestyle at the flick of a ring finger. Besides, it's not like I do this on purpose or for my amusement, I'm looking for a companion.. I just usually end up with questionable women."

"Yeah sure believe what you want," Zeus responded dismissively. "Come back to me when you've been married a century or two."

"What about your siren friend from the party" Poseidon turned to his crimson eyed brother who was glaring at him.

"What about her?" Hades asked.

"I could be wrong," the sea god explained, "but she seemed to like a little more than just your fat wallet."

"Melia?! Oh I can assure you she is not-" a buzz from his phoned made Hades pause mid sentence. He peeked at the screen and saw a message from Hephaestus and instantly his heart began to race. Had his dear sweet nephew dug up some new information about Persephone?

Hades opened the text and found an attachment titled 'Kore' with the caption, 'this seems like it could be connected to your girlfriend uncle Hades, check it out.'

The term girlfriend made Hades feel a certain type of way, Hephaestus really needed to start respecting him as an elder. Although… the term girlfriend did suit Persephone well, and eventually it would maybe evolve to wife? No! What the hell was he thinking?! Was he completed losing his mind?!

"Hades?…"

But why was the article titled 'Kore'? Girl? Maiden? That's what Kore meant was it not? He had come across the name in one of the history books in his study some time back but never payed much heed to it. And what did 'Kore' have to do with Persephone anyway?

"Aidoneus!"

"Persephone please don't call me by that name…"

The room went quiet as Poseidon and Zeus looked at their brother wide eyed. Even Hera and Amphitrite who were serving food on the table froze in place. Had they heard him correctly? Had hades just called Poseidon Persephone?

"Did you just say Persephone?" Zeus questioned his brother, a suspicious look painting his chiseled face.

Hades' heartbeat suddenly increased its pace and little beads of sweat littered his forehead. Gods, had he just blurted out Persephone's name out like that? How was he going to explain himself out of this?

"Hades," Poseidon leaned towards his perspiring brother, "have you been doing stuff with Persephone? You know she's a child right? Centuries younger than you."

"I haven't been doing anything with her!"

"Well there's no way you could just blab her name like that out of the blue," Zeus pointed out. "Misnaming only happens with people we refer to often, or people we talk to a lot. So which is it Hades? Either way, you've been spending time with Persephone enough to have her name at the tip of your tongue."

"No I haven't!" Hades defended himself, "I just…"

"You just what? You want to land all of us in a law suit? Demeter will have our heads Hades!"

"I haven't been spending time with her! Stop insinuating that I have!" Hades spat back, "it's just that-"

"You can't get your mind off of her," Hera completed Hades' sentence and poured herself a glass of wine. She sat herself down on her husband's lap and smirked at the king of the underworld, she seemed very amused at the predicament he was in. "My matchmaking senses are tingling, tell me more about this Persephone, what is it about her that's got you so worked up?"

*

"I can't believe you're going on a date and you didn't tell me!"

Persephone threw on her jacket and turned to Eris, "it's not a date, he's just taking me on a tour of Olympus."

"Just the two of you?" Eris questioned her roommate.

"Yeah…"

"Was it planned?"

"Yes it was," Persephone responded nervously.

"Do you have to dress up for it?"

Persephone pursed her lips, "well not exactly.."

"Then it's a date!" Eris yelled.

Persephone shifted uncomfortably in place, was this really a date? But it couldn't be, her and Tekos were just friends. "But isn't a date what you do with someone you like?" Persephone mumbled.

"You don't like Tekos? But he's a total hottie, most girls would kill to be you right now."

Persephone knitted her brows, "well I admit Tekos is okay looking, but I just don't see him as anything more than a friend."

"Okay looking?!" Eris jumped out her bed and grabbed the redhead's shoulders. "Persie he's a blue eyed blonde who rides a freaking motorcycle with his rippling pectorals!"

"Alright, he's VERY okay looking?"

Eris glared at her friend in shock, "so what? You're into scary looking CEOs from the underworld with pale blue skin as compared to hot lecturers? Is that some kind of kink? You have a thing for older men with authority?"

Persephone's face flashed, "what?! No! I'm not in love with Hades!"

Eris scoffed and pinched Persephone's cheeks, "oh you have fallen off the deep end for sure," the goth goddess commented, "I didn't even say anything about love."

Persephone felt even more embarrassed. It was so frustrating how she always got so worked up at the mention of Hades. She needed to get over him quick!

"Well, I guess Hades would make a really hot sugar daddy," Eris mumbled as she threw herself back onto her bed. "He's got the money, the cool dog, his own freaking empire…Tekos is going to be real heartbroken though, I think he genuinely likes you."