Something was coming. She could feel the darkness pull at her heart. It was time.
Persephone had been conversing with her mother, but suddenly stopped as the feeling overwhelmed her. Her smile faded. Her mother also stopped talking and looked in the direction her daughter was facing. There, coming up the walk at the foot of the great temple on Mount Olympus, was the dark shape of an emissary of the Underworld. He was here to collect Persephone.
As mother and daughter sat there, not willing to say anything about the figure nor the short time they had left together, Persephone wondered again what the God of the Dead saw in her. She was a beauty, but could never hope to rival Aphrodite. She was smart, but did not come close to the level of Athena. She was brave, but not nearly so much as Artemis. No, Persephone was just the daughter of Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest. She had hoped to one day stand at her mother's side as a fellow Goddess of the Harvest and the Seasons.
But now she was not her mother's partner, but she was her equal. For because of Hades, her lord and husband, she had become the Goddess of the Dead, Queen of the Underworld and it's inhabitants.
The flowers in the large vases around them started to wilt. Her mother was already beginning to mourn her absence. Giving her a sad smile, Persephone hugged her mother tightly and said her words of goodbye, reminding her that they would see each other again in six months, per Lord Zeus' decree.
The young Queen stood and breathed deeply, closing her eyes as the shadows appeared under her feet and wrapped around her body like smoke, turning her clothing from the white linen of Olympus to the dark satin of the Underworld. The black dress was much more form-fitting then the white linen, but she knew it pleased Hades.
Saying goodbye once more to her mother, Persephone left her in the small garden and headed towards the large main temple where the immortals of Olympus gathered. She had to appear before Lord Zeus before leaving for her husband's realm. Perhaps she would see a few of the other gods and goddesses as well and tell them goodbye. The only time she really got to interact with them was during the six months she visited her mother. Hades always came when his brother Zeus requested, but normally he preferred to keep to himself and his privacy.
Persephone found herself wondering if her husband would come to fetch her himself this time or if he had just sent one of his creatures to escort her home.
Home...? Had she really come to accept the world of the dead as her home? She missed the light and the life of the world above, but she had been in darkness and shadows so much that they were starting to feel more like a part of her. Sometimes she had to work hard to imagine that she had ever had another life.
Not that Hades was ever cruel or harsh with her. He had never abused her in any way, had never harmed her... on purpose...
Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of voices in the temple. Who would she be seeing before her departure? Who would she be telling goodbye? She hoped it wasn't Hermes. The god liked to flirt too much for her tastes. It often made her marvel at how blatantly immoral some of the gods and goddesses were, even the married ones committed infidelity often and with multiple partners. Zeus himself was a known philanderer who often lusted after human mortal women. It made Persephone wonder if Hades had ever...