Page 24 of Tempted By Hades

“Of course.”

In a flash, he brought her to the place he had wished for her to see the most. The air was filled with a gentle warmth, and the landscape unfolded in vibrant hues of green and gold. The meadows stretched endlessly, adorned with blooming flowers that exuded a sweet fragrance.

“It’s beautiful here.” She gasped, her eyes filled with wonder. “Is this the Elysian Fields?”

He couldn’t help the tugging up at the corner of his lips. “Yes.”

“It’s unlike anything I’ve seen…or felt.” She took in a deep breath. “It even smells different. Like, there’s something in the air.

“Indeed.” Even he could feel the stark contrast compared to the foreboding aura of Tartarus. The air was alive with the melodies of unseen birds, their songs weaving a soothing tapestry through the air.

Persephone, captivated by the beauty surrounding her, inquired, “Hades, is this where the righteous souls find eternal rest? It’s so different from Tartarus.”

“Yes, the Elysian Fields are a haven for those who lived virtuous lives. Here, they experience a serene existence, free from the torments of the darker realms. It’s a realm of eternal peace and joy.”

As they strolled farther, they encountered ethereal beings, radiant and content, engaged in leisurely pursuits. The spirits of heroes and the noble departed reveled in the tranquility of their surroundings.

Hades explained, “This is where poets, warriors, and those who lived honorably during their mortal lives find solace. It is their reward for a life well-lived.”

Her eyes traced the gentle hills. “Do they stay here forever?”

He nodded. “The Elysian Fields offer them an eternal paradise, a realm untouched by the struggles that define mortal existence. It is a place of harmony and everlasting joy, a well-deserved reprieve for those who contributed positively to the tapestry of life.”

She glanced around them once more, soaking in the sights. “Truly, there can’t be anything more beautiful than this.”

Instantly, he thought of something—or rather, someone. Clearing his throat, he said. “There is one more place I’d like to show you. It’s where I want to plant the asphodel. Do you want to see it?”

Her eyes sparkled. “Of course.”

Chapter 5

Persephone

Despite having experienced it in the past, Persephone could never get used to traveling via divine magic. Sure, she and her mother used their powers whenever convenient or when they had to make their major moves. However, having lived so many millennia on earth, she was used to all the forms of transportations mortals invented. She’d tried everything from horse-drawn carriage to steam engines and even that supersonic jet that had been popular in the 1980s and ’90s.

There was something familiar about Hades’s power, but at the same time, different. She could feel the magic envelope them in that split second when the ground disappeared from under her and reappeared again. Yet the quality of his magic was unique—denser, almost, like a heavy woolen blanket.

Blinking, she glanced at her new surroundings. From the pinkish streaks across the sky, she could tell they were still in the Underworld. But this place seemed almost ordinary.

Movement from the corner of eye caught her attention. There were souls moving about what appeared to be a large structure. Squinting, she focused her gaze, trying to decipher what they were doing.

“Are they building houses?”

“They are.”

A few souls had milled about what looked like an ordinary construction site—or at least if it had been set back in ancient Greece. They seemed content, happy even, as they pushed their wheelbarrows, formed bricks, and weaved their thatched roofs.

“Who are those people?” She took in a sharp breath. “And what is this place?

“Those souls lived during the time of philosophers and city-states. They seek to maintain a connection to the culture and era they once knew. And as for this place, for now, I like to call it The Meadows.”

“And what is it? I mean, what was this place made for?”

“It’s a place where souls dwell in various states, their afterlives shaped by their experiences and choices during their mortal existence. The Meadows is a place for those souls who led ordinary lives, neither exceptionally virtuous nor heinously wicked. They find themselves here, scattered across the landscape, attempting to recreate fragments of their earthly existence.”

As they walked, Persephone noticed the scattered homes and abodes that dotted the landscape, each unique in design and reflective of the time when its residents had lived on the Upperworld.

Farther along, they encountered another group living in more modern-looking structures, reflective of a different time period.

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