Page 71 of Tempted By Hades

Persephone nodded and squeezed his hand, seeming to draw strength from his presence as they approached the king of the gods.

They approached the imposing thrones of Zeus and Hera, where the divine couple presided over Olympus with an air of regal authority.

Zeus, the king of the gods, wore a charismatic smile that concealed the complexities of divine politics.

“Hades! Welcome!” he greeted. Hera acknowledged them with a courteous smile.

“Zeus, Hera,” Hades replied, as polite as he could be, hiding any disdain he might harbor for his brother. “I’m delighted to be here tonight and even more delighted to introduce my new queen, Persephone.”

“Ah yes, of course. My apologies for not being able to come to your wedding, but Hera has told me all about your bride and the lovely ceremony.” Standing up, he cleared his throat. “Attention everyone!” Zeus’s booming voice echoed through the grand hall of Olympus as he summoned the attention of the assembly of gods and goddesses. The divine crowd hushed, turning their attention to the king of the gods. “I am delighted to introduce a new addition to our divine family. As you all know, Hades, Lord of the Underworld, has taken a queen—Persephone, Goddess of Spring!”

The gods and goddesses offered polite applause as Persephone stood beside Hades. Zeus, with practiced charm, acknowledged the presence of Demeter, Persephone’s mother, adding a touch of diplomatic grace to the introduction.

“Let us welcome Persephone to Olympus and wish the newlyweds eternal happiness!” Zeus proclaimed, and the divine assembly responded with a mixture of cheers and polite gestures of approval. “But now, we must move on to the main event, the reason we are here!” He paused dramatically, and a hushed silence moved over the crowd. “It was a dark time, twenty millennia ago. The battle for supremacy….”

Hades tuned out his brother’s theatrical antics, not really wanting to listen to him drone on and paint himself as a hero of the Titan War. Instead, he focused his attention on Persephone, who listened intently as Zeus spoke. She looked so achingly lovely tonight. It made that knot in his chest pull even tighter.

Bring the goddess of spring to the Sealing Ceremony.

She was already here. What would happen now? The seer had given no further instructions.

He had thought that the moment they reached Olympus that something would happen. Yet, here they were, and everything seemed as they should be.

Perhaps the seer had changed his mind? Or there was no such evidence of Zeus’s betrayal?

Would it be so bad if things remained as they were? With him staying in the Underworld, but Persephone at his side, none the wiser to his machinations behind the scenes to bring them together.

But then again, as the centuries passed, would he grow resentful? Would he always wonder if he was the rightful ruler of the gods and if Zeus had cheated him?

“…which now brings us to tonight,” Zeus said, pausing once again for effect. “Brothers,” he called to Hades and Poseidon. “Bring your mates and join us.” He helped Hera up from her throne and proceeded to the portal.

Hades guided Persephone along. “Don’t worry,” he assured her. “All you have to do is hold my hand.” He gave her a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m not worried.” She flashed him a shy smile, one that made the knot in his chest ache. “I’m never worried when I’m with you.”

They joined the two other couples in front of the portal and performed the ritual just as they did ten thousand years ago. However, as Hades raised his staff and spoke the incantations this time, he was not alone. With Persephone by his side, he could feel the power flow through both of them, infusing the staff and focusing on the portal. Light emanated from them, bathing them all in a bright, blinding glow.

Time and space lost all meaning, and the very air pulsed with power. It was similar to what had happened before, but there was something different this time. A deafening silence remained over them as the glow dimmed around them.

“Once again, we continue to triumph!” Zeus shouted. “Now, we celebrate!”

Hades felt Persephone squeeze his hand. “That was…I can’t…it was indescribable,” she said in a quiet voice. “I could feel you. All of you, even though we were only holding hands.”

“And I, you,” he confessed. He finally understood what Hestia had told him long ago about how things change when one takes a mate and why Persephone had to be here. She was part of him, and him, her.

As the festivities roared back to life around them, Hades and Persephone chose to linger in the serene aftermath of the Sealing Ceremony. The divine energies that permeated the air began to settle, leaving behind a palpable sense of accomplishment. They stood together, contrasting to the revelry around them, absorbing the unique energy surrounding the divine realm.

Persephone turned to Hades with a contented smile, her eyes still sparkling with the remnants of the ceremony’s magic. “This is incredible. I’m so glad we could share this together,” she admitted.

Hades nodded in agreement. “It’s a momentous occasion, and you played a significant role in it,” he acknowledged.

“It was so different,” she began. “First, I thought we were just supposed to stand there and then—” She stopped short, her eyes glazing over.

“Persephone?” When she didn’t respond, he waved a hand in front of her face. “Persephone?”

“There’s something strange in the air.” Her hand went up to her chest and closed around her necklace. “Can’t you feel it?”

He glanced around them. Everything seemed normal.

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