Page 74 of His in the Dark

Should I tell him about my vision of my mother? About her threats and her agony of losing me.

How much time for questions do I have before we will be in court and passing judgment on the souls of the Underworld? Before he shows the world that he thinks of me as hisqueen?

In the end, I cannot form the question, and my heart beats too hard for me to speak.

I keep my mother’s warning to myself. For I do not know what is real and what is only in my mind, but at this moment I stand tall beside my lover and attempt to be his equal in a room that feels so very familiar and yet one I do not know I belong in.

HADES

Let word spread that she stands beside me with a rightly deserved crown. Let Hekate hear whispers from the army of the dead. I pray it travels to every realm. With purpose and a renewed sense of thrill, I lead her to her throne.

Entering my court has never felt like this. Not once.

The pride is unexpected but as is the anxiousness of their reaction.

Stepping through the doors with my queen at my side is unlike every other time I can recall, and the sensation is not entirely comfortable. Mostly, this is on my own behalf.

With a sharp gasp, I turn to look at her. Fucking beautiful. She’s breathtaking in the crown made for her.

I take great pleasure in Persephone’s company. I would prefer to see her spread out on the sheets beneath me, but out of the corner of my eye, she is all regal beauty.

Whispers rise as we move toward the dais.

The gathered attendants lean close to one another, speaking in low voices or whispers. Though I cannot hear the words themselves, the tone is audible.

The tone is kind. The tone is slightly awed, as if they are surprised to see her at my side.

Many of these attendants have seen Persephone out on the path. The few who I have allowed in the castle. They have come to like her. To respect her.

Now they will stand in astonishment, as I do every time I walk into the rooms we share.

It is like watching the sun rise in the realm of the mortals, or Elysium come down to meet the darkest pits of hell. It would be difficult to explain Persephone’s beauty to one who had never seen such things. They might think, in their ignorance, that it was nothing more than exaggeration.

It is not.

Persephone holds tighter to my arm, and we step up onto the dais at the opposite side of the room. Two thrones wait for us. I guide Persephone into the one on the left, if one is facing the dais.

I take my seat, and Persephone is at my right hand, where she should have been before and will remain. I will ensure it.

She is trembling. Nerves, I think. I brush my knuckles along the back of her hand and she glances at me. Her beautiful eyes wide and full of awe.

“Your kingdom awaits my Queen,” I tell her and she offers me a short nod in acknowledgement. I can practically hear her heart racing from here. There’s nothing to concern her. She will participate as she’d like to and nothing more today.

Persephone’s hand slides into mine atop the thick armrest between our thrones.

She’s here,my heart says, though my eyes can see this perfectly well.She is here, and today you need not remember all those eternities you spent alone.

“We will begin,” I announce, my voice reaching the very back of the hall.

Voices rise slightly, but then the first of the new souls is brought in, and we fall into the well-worn routine.

It is the same pattern as always, and yet it feels like the first time. Each soul is a precious being. One under my rule and their eternity at my discretion.

With Persephone’s hand in mine, I am the same God I was before. And I am a God I have never met.

It is not a matter of fairness. From my first breaths in the Underworld, I knew I would rule with balance and that with it, would come judgement from others. Scathing hate from those punished that is inescapable. Heartless is a word I hear often. There is no one in the Underworld who can claim that I was unfair, or unjust. Except for liars and those who still fail to see their sentencing here is mirrored in their free will in the mortal realm.

Persephone does not inspire whimsy in me for a task like this. She doesn’t inspire rage or a severe harshness. She simply sits beside me to observe and in that, she inspires additional patience. As I treasure the moment she has. Her first court in her throne. The first witnesses to her crown.

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