some tragic love stories be like: if i could bottle the galaxy, i would pour it into a cup so it would be easier for you to drink. do you want them? do you want the stars? or do they suit you better as adornments for your eyes than glitter on your lips?

but they don’t want the stars. they don’t want the galaxy. but how can they not? is that not enough? (it’s too much, that’s the problem. it’s too much.)

OKAYOKAYOKAY now that i've had a few nights to Ruminate here are way too many thoughts from 9/16's show -- fair warning that they aren't *super* coherent as a lot of this i just tried to loosely organize from dms i threw at folks night-of, but it is most of what i remember sticking out to me!

GENERAL THOUGHTS --

last saw the show in august of 2019 - back then i saw it up in the mezzanine, this time i was 7 rows back dead center in the middle of the orchestra. watching the show from the mezzanine feels like a god's eye view of the show while sitting up close in the orchestra is much more like being in the world of men, and how it hits in hadestown particularly is just nuts bc you really do feel like you're on the factory floor.

back in the London production i remember eva playing eurydice with more youth and hope to her, and when the show came to Broadway eurydice hardened. in a world with a pandemic eva seems to have actually shifted this back! Eurydice is still holding tightly onto Orpheus Knowing that the world is unlikely to be kind enough to let them have each other for long but she starts off less faithless than she used to, I suppose I would describe it? she's definitely played more open with others from the beginning rather than having it be something she has to really work towards!

WAIT FOR ME IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT FEELING FROM THE ORCHESTRA THAN THE MEZZANINE AND NOT JUST THE LAMPS. the lamps really only swing out to over the first 2 rows, speaking very generously, anyway. what i remember being most impactful from last time was how the whole theater rumbled as the walls of the set split to reveal hadestown. what i couldn't see and afaik no boot's been able to pick up is the the set ALSO SPLITS AND STRETCHES OPEN AT THE TOP. that awning that covers the balcony lifts and the wall of hadestown is revealed to stretch floor to ceiling and it is just so much, so fucking much oh my god i could not stop hysterically blubbering to myself watching hadestown stretch open like it is absolutely here to devour you whole. it makes you feel the immensity of The Wall. I've linked ig videos of the set pre act 1 and post intermission to give like the best perspective on it i can and tried to film them so they were zoomed as closely as to what my eyes were seeing as I could, but here are also some pictures!

PRE ACT ONE

INTERMISSION

after our lady of the underground when eurydice comes back from hades' office and Persephone is finishing with her show, me being closer this time i was actually able to see amber's face during way down hadestown ii and flowers. and how she portrays seph's feelings re eurydice, it's like : genuine concern and watching over her when she first starts on the line, Quiet Seething and Jealous Rage as the fates' tattle "Hades put his hands on ya" that sticks for a While including the first half of flowers, but as soon as eurydice remembers the meadow her and Orpheus visited her heart just b r e a k s and you can see her wiping away tears. seph's just so caught in her own feelings of helplessness in hadestown. when hades tells her to stay out of him dealing with Orpheus all the fight just deflates out of her and the direct accusing look Orpheus gives her at the end of if it's true mixed with seeing his effect on the workers makes her physically rear back like she's gotten the fight slapped back into her

even with this audience who almost for sure has all seen ht before, there was still the loudest heartbroken gasp when orpheus turned. i know everyone calls this out but it still hit me hard that with a greater percentage of previous viewers in the audience it still hit us all like a fucking brick

and ofc. road to hell ii. it's a millions times more impactful than it already was what with the pandemic, making it through hard times and how they could be hard again but making the best of them even if it doesn't turn out well this time either. i was crying so hard last time but this time i was crying harder but also feeling like a huge weight was being like, very softly cradled in my chest to take some of the burden away

TOM'S HADES/HADES AND PERSEPHONE SPECIFIC THOUGHTS --

Tom's Hades whole tl;dr could be that Hades is a Performance. all those descriptions of him beign "jazzy" and "egodriven" are correct, but there is also this massive vibe he gives off that all his showmanship is there as a cover up for the very pessimistic man at the core of him. when him and persephone are getting along the jazziness is there for genuine playfulness with her, but apart from seph it is a purposeful exaggeration on hades' part to get Whatever it is that he wants. he is playing up aggression as king (see papers) and what he thinks as being suave (see hey little songbird) to maintain his throne and his marriage, and Epic III is the Destruction of that performance. Tom's Hades at the end of Epic III isn't trying to sell anyone anything, you just get to see the suddenly very scared and unsure heart of the man behind the performance of foreman and king. And oh boy is Tom's Hades at his heart unsure. He is so fucking pessimistic; back in Act 1 when Orpheus starts to sing Epic I he turns from Persephone even before she gets reminded of the world above and starts longing for it, because he already expects to see it coming and he doesn't turn back to her Ever Again, literally until he comes to get her in Way Down Hadestown. Not even when she gives him a kiss on the cheek goodbye. His Kiss, The Riot is him trying to figure out how the hell he's gonna be able to rebuild his performance after his whole kingdom saw through it, but he also ends it being so very certain that the deal he figures out for Orpheus Will end with Orpheus failing somehow. There is no doubt in this very pessimistic Hades that doubt will come in, whereas Patrick used the end of His Kiss The Riot almost like he was desperately trying to justify that his doubt came to him only in Persephone's absence

road to hell i: tom's hades loves cheering on the band so much he is Part Of The Problem that Hermes has to get to chill out and it makes so much sense for this jazzy dramatic motherfucker

balcony time (road to hell i until livin' it up on top): when they were upstairs playing dominoes they kept laying their tiles with these overexaggerated movements.. Like when they actually getting along they are so damn flirty and trying so hard to make each other smile and laugh and it is TOO CUTE

way down hadestown: Once Again "I missed ya" gives me no rest, mostly because Tom delivered it with this super coy and cocky grin and Amber immediately smiled back at him like Persephone couldn't help herself

chant i: is spent with him looking up proud into his creation while persephone is looking down with heartbreak and disgust seeing the workers as people in suffering and the ugliness of hadestown. as the song goes on he gets increasingly frustrated like a child who's super proud of the drawing he brought home from school that Persephone has nothing but terrible things to say about. when eurydice starts singing about her suffering seph throws out her arm and points to her like "see! See what you're doing!!" while hades is more in himself processing his disappointment, frustration, heartbreak, but over the next minute you start to see him Formulating A Plan as he watches eurydice. but he doesn't look entirely sold on going through with it until seph throws out her last verse in disgust. it was absolutely the straw that broke the camel's back.

hey little songbird: THO IT SOUNDS SO SEDUCTIVE ON AUDIO. OML DOES IT LEAN INTO EURYDICE'S "STRANGE MAN" DESCRIPTOR. HADES IS LIKE THE CREEPY SALESMAN ON THE CORNER WITH WATCHES AND A TRENCHCOAT. BUT HE'S SELLING HIS SHIT WELL, HE'S JUST ALSO A WEIRDO

Why We Build The Wall/"Behind Closed Doors": That followup on hades' threat when eurydice arrives in hadestown. as hades goes to the stairs he like not whacks, but definitely nudges seph's arm harder than Patrick does to get her attention. when he did she Startled and laid her hand over her arm where he'd tapped her like she was overwhelmed by just that touch........ but then she turns around and watches him take Eurydice up and when he opens his coat and she Realizes you see her whole body go slack. once eurydice goes past the office doors hades turns and lingers staring pointedly down at seph, for *seconds* whereas with patrick i remember it being more of a pointed glance. it drills home that hades is doing this specifically to spite seph and he wants her to know it. and you can see amber discreetly wipe her face before she turns back to "does anybody want a DRINK." there's less direct seduction between hades and eurydice but more explicit threat between hades and seph about eurydice

papers: actually isn't too much Bastärde as it is his Performance. HOWEVER, the way he directs the workers to beat Orpheus is chilling. Like patrick he hangs around, but he's watching until the last 10 seconds so it's way longer. And he makes like the smallest gestures with his hand to direct the workers to the different stages of beating Orpheus, fuck it was twisted

how long: how long actually starts with seph and hades seemingly coming to each other on a similar page - hades came out pensively fiddling with his wedding ring and Amber delivered "I know" like seph was already past the eurydice situation. this also could have been a product of time and seeing how actually little he did "seducing" eurydice lmao

chant ii: very much Hades Sees Orpheus As A Threat™️ (more on this further below) , also dare i say it but tom kills I CONDUCT THE ELECTRIC CITY

epic iii: oh man oh man. he looks so untouched until Orpheus starts the lalas and he goes from completely passive unimpressed face to like. his body unfolds on his stool and his hands go slack and he looked between Orpheus and Persephone when he asked where Orpheus had gotten his melody. he asked it a lot softer than I expected him too as well. a big part of the audience actually laughed when Hades sang his lala because Tom cracks his voice during it but it petered off into sniffling when they realized why and then we were all just crying together as persephone placed the flower in his vest.

lovers desire: SOME VERY CUTE STUFF. hades' performance is broken but tom's hades is still a Jazzy Jazzy Man at heart and they're like 100 times more playful with each other - they're both giggling and grinning their asses off while they dance together and give each other these like nudges to the next series of steps and it was adorable and I was discretely sobbing. they both played it like they knew how to do this dance with each other better than they knew anything, the little nudges were like..... them playing inside this dance they already knew so well? Like more overexaggeration to make each other laugh and just revel in this wonderful thing they've rediscovered- specifically I remember that Amber raised her skirt soooooo high when she was doing the curtsey and Tom was like waggling his eyebrows at her and adding extra flourishes with his hands and widening his eyes super big everytime he pulled off a move (the funniest ones were when they do like the two-step where they move one after another in sequence and he's copying her moves in reverse and oml it was just adorable). When Seph had the move where she pulls their linked arms over his head to tuck him into her I remember that was the one part where he wasn't doing this goofy act but his expression straight up melted and he looked so smitten. and when it's the last bit of the dance and he spins her across the stage, seph's face breaks open with tears his expression responds with like this mix of heartbreak and "ohhhhh no baby please don't cry" as he moved across the stage to quickly take her into his arms for the dip at the end

AFTER this when orphydice has finished promises and right before Orpheus turns to ask Hades if they can go, they come out of slow dancing to the side but are still super wrapped up in each other - seph wraps herself around one of his arms and presses herself super close and Tom leaned down with this little smile like Hades was gonna try and steal a quick kiss, but then he hears/sees out of the corner of his eye/senses or something Orpheus approaching and pulls himself up and formal to be the king. When he says I don't know and seph wrenches herself away from him to the other side of the stage to firmly stand behind Orphydice he gets this look of Extreme Frustration on that she's still not standing with him and these damn kids are still more important, bc even with character growth he still is a petty selfish bitch who does not like to share lmao, he's just getting that he Has To now

wait for me ii: Hades stays onstage by the microphone stand to the left to watch Hermes deliver his judgement to orphydice/seph/the workers and watching Tom during this was a Treat. this is the first time he's seeing how orphydice and esp Orpheus function when he's not involved to terrify them. they're so sweet and so good, and they have what looks like so much unwavering faith in each other unlike him and seph, maybe they really could... so when he delivers "i let them try" that last word is stretched with so much wonder. he's getting this first glimpse into feeling how everyone else felt when orpheus sang of how the world could be that isn't just focused in about how he feels about persephone, which always drives him - now he's having to deal with the Greater Implications and orpheus' seemingly unbreakable faith in a better world rocks him to his core. that certainty that orpheus would fail gets shaken as he watches them and when Seph asks him if he thinks they'll make it, his I Don't Know is 1/2 defensive and 1/2 actual uncertainty. he still hates to be wrong but he's wondering if his beliefs about doubt will turn out differently this time. he isn't optimistic about it by any means but orpheus, eurydice, and the workers' response to them both does give him pause

meanwhile in hades and persephone's section, on a personal level they deliver their lines to each other like they're a great deal more nervous about what next fall will bring than i've seen and heard before - something I'm thinking stems from hades' worldview being so suddenly shaken and seph too being a little more vulnerable?

MISC THOUGHTS

Tom seems to be leaning into Hades not having done anything with Eurydice other than tempt her down - once she's in Hadestown even during Why We Build The Wall he drops the salesman croon entirely and when he does rarely speak to her/about her it's commanding as a king who sees her just as another object under his possession, with very little interest in her for anything at all beyond that. he was just going after the goal of making sure Seph knew he had Options whether or not he actually pursued them

tom is super dedicated to how power-hungry hades is. I remember when I saw Patrick during chant ii he was playing hades as more affected by how much seph seemed to care about the workers now and desperately trying to get her attention back (even negatively), Tom was more consumed in seeing Orpheus as a threat because of how effectively he had turned his "children" on him. He knocks Seph down in those "shackle her from wrist to wrist" less as a personal petty attack to her like Patrick does and more like to try and destabilize her as someone backing Orpheus up. Tom's Hades perceives Orpheus as a Threat no matter how much he plays up his Performance as Nonchalant Jazzy King. he really emphasizes Hades' relationship to Orpheus whereas Patrick played more into his relationship with Eurydice, which makes so much sense what with Tom's Hades being a pettier more egotistical messy bitch obsessed with his kingdom and Patrick's Hades' obsession being his wife and Hadestown being like, this side-effect of being a god that he just couldn't help, he Had to build and strive for power whereas Tom's Hades reveled in it and wanted it. Instinct versus drive I guess. one of my buds put it super well as: "Patrick!Hades sees everything as a threat to his power Tom!Hades is so certain of his power that he can afford to be somewhat nonchalant but the fact that Orpheus alone is his main genuine threat is fucking brilliant"

and ok for now, that's what I've got! if anyone wants any clarification or wants to ask details about specific moments I didn't put in here feel free to shoot me an ask!

Pragma(tic) 6: He Never Listens

Pairing: Persephone!Bucky Barnes x Hades!Reader

Summary: In a world where the old gods never truly died, you must learn to navigate your way through the ups and downs of immortality. And if living forever wasn’t hard enough, an ancient evil is now threatening to break free after centuries of silence. And as if that still wasn’t hard enough for you, now a pesky and infuriatingly handsome god is trying to wedge his way into your life. Gods, work, love, and conflict—what more could a goddess need? [Hades & Persephone AU]

Word Count: 5244

Warnings: Language

Pragma(tic) Masterlist

Previous 5: She Deals With a Pest

“Where’s your head been lately, Buck?”

“Hmm? I don’t know what you mean.”

“I mean,” Steve said turning his torso to face his best friend, “you’ve been distracted these past few weeks, and I want to know why.”

Bucky only shrugged, his eyes glazing over as he stared down at the mortal city before them. “I dunno, man. I guess I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“Like what?” Steve was persistent, prodding, desperate to know what was troubling him. “Come on, man, you can tell me anything.”

This was true, but Bucky wasn’t sure he could tell him this: that he was still sneaking into the Underworld when their backs were turned or when he had a spare moment. He wasn’t sure that he could tell Steve that he was enchanted by the only goddess he was forbidden to talk with.

It’d been about two months since his and Hades’ first meeting, and he’d been down there a total of four times since. The first time, she caught him at the border and sent him back after a scolding. The second, he made it to beautiful Elysium, spooked a couple spirits, and had the time of his life before she dragged him out, less annoyed and more amused than the first. But these last two times, even though she told him that he wasn’t allowed to be down there and sent him back, she talked to him like he was an acquaintance. She answered his questions (“Where do you live?” “On the mountain.” “Is it lonely?” “Sometimes, but that’s why I have a dog and friends.” “Am I your friend?” “No.” “Are we ever going to be friends?” “I cannot say.”) and even gave him a smile. That was a personal accomplishment for him.

He felt like he was getting to her, breaking down the walls little by little. Gods, he knew he still had a long way to go, but he couldn’t help but feel proud that he’d gotten as far as he did. The last time he was down there, she didn’t even kick him out that harshly; she just walked him out as if walking guests out from a party and actually said “Goodbye, James” when she left. If that wasn’t progress, Bucky didn’t know what was.

Bucky pursed his lips, debating on how to tell his friend what was going on without really telling him what was going on. “I guess it’s just…” He trailed off, his brain running with ideas and words, none of which were good enough to conceal the truth.

“Yes? It’s just what?”

He nodded his head to the side, before finally saying, “There’s this girl, and I can’t get her out of my head. She’s so different from other people I’ve met before, and it’s wonderful. But I’m not sure how I feel about her or how she feels about me, y’know?” He sighed and lifted his head up to the sky to stare at the clouds. If he focused hard enough, he could almost make out her face in the patterns, as insane as it was. 

“I mean, kinda?” Steve shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve never really had that before. What’s her name?”

“Hade— Harriet.”

Steve snorted, his chest jolting with the sudden movement. “Hade-Harriet? What kind of name is that.”

Bucky could feel the color rising up his neck as it tried to creep on his cheeks. He turned his head away. “Her name is Harriet.” *Harriet.* Really? Was that the best he could come up with? Welp, it was going to have to work for now. “She’s really cool, but she’s also stubborn and strict. She’s really insistent on boundaries.”

“Uh-huh, and where did you meet her?”

*Dammit, Steve. Stop asking questions.*

“I—uh—I met her in the Mortal World. You and Sam were napping and I wanted to go shopping, so I went down to the mainland to see what stores there were. And we just kinda ran into each other, you know.”

Bucky was impressed with how easily he had fabricated the story, he just hoped that Steve bought it.

Steve didn’t, but he didn’t get a chance to call Bucky on his bullshit.

The wind picked up, swirling all around the two men. The grass spun around them, blowing violently, bringing the smell of plants along with it. The wind funneled, creating a narrow tube. The wind grew hazy, thick with grain and greens, as it moved to a spot in front of them.

Steve straightened up, his shoulders rolling back to appear more formal.

Bucky did the same, for he knew what this wind meant: the arrival of his mother.

When the wind cleared, a woman with dark hair to match Bucky’s and startling green eyes stood before them. She was dressed in a deep green suit, gold ornaments woven into her hair. She beamed down at the two, her eyes sparkling when she laid eyes on her son. “Hello, James,” she greeted, her voice as strong as her finest plants and her smile as warm as the sun that fed them.

“Mother!” Bucky rose to his full height, a good five inches taller than his mother, and took fast strides over to her to engulf her in a hug.

“Oh, my baby boy,” she said as she hugged him tightly. “It’s been too long! How are things? How are you doing? Staying out of trouble I assume?” 

“Oh yes, Mrs. B,” Steve chimed. “Sam and I have been doing a good job at keeping James here straight.”

She smiled. “Good. Speaking of which, where is Sam?”

“Oh, he’s down in the city grabbing us some cheeseburgers. He lost rock paper scissors and got sacrificed to go on the food run.”

At this, Winnifred frowned. “You know I don’t like you boys going down there. Why don’t you go up to Olympus for lunch instead? There’s this cafe that makes the best ambrosia ever! You simply must try it.”

Bucky gave her a polite smile. “Alright, Mother. We’ll go there next time for lunch.” He cleared his throat, starting to change the subject. “So, why have you come?”

“Oh, you know. I had a bit of a break at the office and decided to come visit my son, make sure he’s doing well and— Wait, what’s that smell?”

*Fuck.*

“Wh-What smell?” Bucky asked, trying so hard to keep his voice steady and even. He knew damn well what smell, but he wasn’t going to point that out.

His mother scrunched her nose in disgust. “It smells like death. What the—” She turned her eyes towards Bucky, seemingly fixating on him and glowering.

Bucky felt the color drain from his cheeks. He was done for. She knew. She knew it was him and—

“What the hell is happening here?” She marched towards him, passing him with an air of agitation. She stopped at a tree several yards behind the boys and stared at it with a glare. “James, this tree is dying, and you didn’t save it?” She reached out and pressed her palm flat against its trunk. Instantly the dark bark began to lighten with life as she rejuvenated it. “Honestly, James. You’re supposed to be a god of spring. The least you can do is keep alive what little area I gave you.” She shot a teasing smile at him over her shoulder.

Bucky almost laughed with relief, but instead, he adopted a more serious demeanor. “I’m sorry, Mother. I’ll do better next time.”

“You’d better if you want to become an even better god!” She pulled away from the tree before walking back to the boys. “Well, I’m sorry to have to leave so soon, but I only came for a short visit. Work is busy as ever in the spring and I need to keep tabs on all the harvests.” She smiled at Steve. “You tell Sam ‘hello’ for me and keep an eye on my boy, you hear?”

Steve nodded politely. “Yes, ma’am. We’ll keep him out of trouble.”

“Good. Then…” She turned to Bucky and held her arms out. “Give your mother one last hug.”

Bucky chuckled but complied. “Mother, you don’t have to treat me like a kid anymore. I’m more than a thousand years old.”

“I know, but you’ll always be my baby boy.” She kissed his cheek before pulling away from him. “I’ll see you soon, my child. Until the next time.” And just like that, she was gone; vanished into a cloud of grain and wheat.

As soon as she was gone, Bucky let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding in. He was always tense around his mother, even more so now that he had something to hide. He just hoped that she would never find out his dirty little secret.

———

It was another few days before Bucky was able to sneak away from Steve and Sam again. It was in the dead of the night, when they were sleeping, that Bucky crept away, staying as silent as possible. He walked away from the clearing that the boys had chosen to sleep in, and summoned a pair of dark jeans and a blue shirt to clothe him. The garments materialized on his body as they did for every god, taking the place of his pajamas. Using the cover of night, he slipped away.

A perk of being a god, even a minor, fledgling one like him, was the teleportation. With a destination on his mind, Bucky could travel anywhere on Heaven and Earth that he wanted. And it was through this, that Bucky appeared on Cape Matapan, a small landmass at the end of Greece’s Mani Peninsula. The mortals had said that the elaborate network of caves there concealed an entrance to Hades. They were right, although it was a difficult journey. But Bucky had been using these caves to get into the Underworld ever since Hades sealed off the Dikteon Cave and tightened security at the Acheron. She wasn’t quite aware of this entrance yet and Bucky wanted to keep it like that. After all, he was starting to run out of ways to sneak in under her nose.

Bucky took a couple of steps into the cave before pausing and leaning down. A flashlight was nestled against the wall of the cave, right where he’d left it the last time. His fingers wrapped around the metal cylinder of the flashlight and he flicked it on. The beam pierced the darkness of the cave, illuminating the tunnels ahead, and he began the short journey down.

Slopes and declines in the path took him deeper and deeper into the earth; and as he descended, he could feel the life seeping out of the air—a telltale sign that he was nearing his destination.

He walked for twenty or so minutes before he hit the end of the tunnel network. The cavern opened up slightly, still darkened with a black that swallowed up any and all light around. 

Bucky grinned. He’d made it down, and now all he had to do was take a step in. He flicked off the flashlight, plunging the cave into darkness and set it down on the ground before walking right into the mass of black before him. It was cold as always, stealing any sign of warmth and life from his bones, and it made him shudder, but he pushed on. Eventually he was tossed out onto the other side, right at the edge of a flower meadow. The cave behind him sealed, taking on the facade of being a simple wall, but Bucky knew what it was. He stumbled a bit as he emerged, but he caught his footing pretty quickly. He wasn’t going to fall like he had the first time, not when there were so many spirits around to bear witness to it.

He straightened up and looked over the area.

Shades milled about the field—the Asphodel Meadows, he thought it was called—all minding their own business as they floated aimlessly. Very few paid him any attention, but that didn’t bother him. The less attention he drew, the better. Beyond the Meadows, he saw the gates of Elysium rising high and the mountain right next to it. The black mansion at its peak was daunting as ever, and yet that was his destination. Bucky wondered how close he’d make it this time before Hades found him and sent him home.

Determined to at least make it to the base of her mountain, Bucky started walking. The shades around him parted, making a narrow path in his wake and allowing him easier means to reach his destination. Of course, he could’ve just walked through them, but that would’ve been rude and his mother had raised him to be a gentleman.

The mountain grew larger as he neared, towering over him and becoming more and more intimidating with every step. He could begin to make out the details of Hades’ mansion now and even see figures moving behind the frosted glass of the windows. She was home, and she had company. 

He hesitated. If Hades had guests over, as surprising as that would be, maybe he shouldn’t impose. He could always come back another time or—

“Back again, I see.”

He squeaked and whirled around, lifting his hands to defend himself in case of an attack. But none ever came.

Instead, Hades just crossed her arms and smirked, her red-coated lips quirked up with amusement. “Did I startle you, little prince?”

Bucky scoffed, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. “No. You just caught me off guard.”

“So I startled you?”

“Well… Maybe.” He shook his head and looked her over.

The other times he’d weaseled his way in and she’d come to greet him, she’d always looked professional, prim, and proper. She would always be adorned with a black business blazer, pressed pants, and an elegant pair of flats. Her eyes would always be shrouded with a smokey eye and her lips would always glow as red as her eyes. Her hair would always be styled, not a single hair out of place. But this time there was no makeup on her face that was apparent to him, strands of loose hair flew every-which-way in a fashion that was unruly but still attractive, and she was dressed in a more casual attire of black jeans that hugged her legs, a plain grey shirt that hung loosely from her shoulders, and black sneakers. 

If Bucky had an opinion, he would’ve said that she looked as attractive as ever, but he didn’t have an opinion. He lifted his chin with a smile. “How did you get down here so fast?”

“I sensed you coming. Using the shadows, I came to your side.” She gestured down to the shadows of the flowers that fell on the ground. She was standing in one like she’d just risen from it. 

“But I just saw you and someone else in the window and I thought that you had company.”

“Oh, I do,” she said with a nonchalant shrug. “But it’s just Peggy. She was on her way out anyway; she has her own paperwork to get to.”

“Peggy? Goddess of magic, crossroads, ghosts—”

“And other things,” Hades confirmed. “The mortals call her Hecate, but her name is Peggy.” Hades turned her head away from him and looked up at the mansion on the mountain. “She’s up there with my dog. I sometimes think that she likes him more than she likes me.” She chuckled.

“I didn’t know you had a dog.” Bucky smiled softly at her, keeping his head down so he could see her easier and she could see his face.

She scrunched her nose. “Really? You seriously did not know that I have a dog? Cerberus is in nearly every myth about me, and he helps guard the entrance to the Underworld to make sure the souls don’t get out.”

Bucky had no idea. He never read the myths, he only knew some names of the other gods. With a sheepish laugh, he rubbed the back of his neck and shifted his weight from side to side. “N-No I didn’t. I—”

He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence because, at that moment, Hades brought two fingers up to her mouth and whistled. The sound rang loud and clear through the still air and a crash followed it almost immediately.

Rapid movement from the mansion atop the mountain drew his eye, and he saw a black mass bounding down the path of the mountain. It was moving at a speed that shouldn’t have been possible for a normal dog, drawing dangerously close with every second. Bucky was tempted to run away—he’d never seen anything like this before—but Hades, with her calm demeanor as she watched the figure approaching with only an amused smile betraying her emotion, coaxed him to stay. He stood his ground, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the black mass.

As it neared, its details became clear. He saw the animal’s shaggy black fur shining in the dim light of the Underworld and its glowing red eyes staring at him and Hades. Its tongue was hanging out of its mouth, its lips spread wide as if it was grinning. When it came within three yards of the pair, it let out a loud yelp before leaping into the air right at Hades. Bucky was certain it was going to knock her down, but she opened her arms and caught him as easily as if it were a child.

She laughed, the sound music to Bucky’s ears, as the wolf-like creature attacked her face with its tongue. “Cerberus!” she cried, her voice as light and airy as Bucky had ever heard it. “Get down! I’ve taught you better than this.”

It was then that Bucky realized that this was her dog. His lips split back into a smile. “Well isn’t he a handsome thing.”

“You think this is great, you should see him at his full height.” She grinned down at her dog, cupping his face in her hands. “He’s huge, and all three of his heads come out. It’s sad though, I only have two hands and I can’t pet them all.”

Bucky snorted, but said nothing, opting to observe instead. He was fascinated with the scene in front of him. He’d never seen Hades so relaxed; she was always ushering him out as fast as she could, and it was amazing for him to see her like this. It made his heart race in his chest and his smile widen to an uncomfortable size. It made his head light and his stomach flip. It made him happy.

Hades pulled away from Cerberus and turned to look at Bucky. “I figured you two ought to be acquainted since he’ll be helping me kick you out from now on, or doing it himself if I’m too busy to deal with you.” She glanced at him through her eyelashes.

Bucky feigned being hurt and clutched his chest with his hand. “I’m not even going to have the pleasure of being escorted out by the Queen of the Underworld?”

“Not when she’s too busy dealing with queenly things to take care of your ass.” She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Now, come on. You know the drill.” She jerked her head in the direction of the Acheron. 

Bucky groaned. “Oh, come on! I just got here!”

“And now you’re just leaving.” She rubbed Cerberus’ head one more time before reaching forward and grabbing Bucky’s wrist. “I’ve got shit to deal with right now. Filing away souls, welcoming new Elysium residents, going over appeals for Elysium admittance; my job is never done.”

Bucky walked with her, staring at the hair on the back of her head and tracing the patterns of the strands. “Yeah? What else do you do?”

She shrugged, but answered, “A variety of things: manage the other gods down here, maintain border security, deal with difficult souls that want to cause disturbances, walk my dog, sometimes go around Elysium and mark up renovations that need to happen. You name it, I probably deal with it in one way or another. That’s what happens when you rule a realm.”

Bucky nodded, his eyes glinting with interest. “It seems like you really care about people down here.”

“Oh, I do,” Hades agreed. “They’re my subjects, mine to protect and guard. I love them like my family.” She smiled fondly, her lips twitching up as her eyes crinkled at the corners. “There’s a bunch of good people down here, but there are also some bad…” Her smile dissolved and her eyes flickered towards the far wall of the Underworld where the Phlegethon flowed. “But that doesn’t matter right now. What matters is how you’ve managed to keep sneaking down here. Would you care to clue me in?”

He smirked. “You know, I would but then you’d just go and block it off and I’d never be able to return.”

“You’re damn right. You’re causing major security concerns whenever you get in without me knowing until you’re already down here.” She was deadly serious now, and Bucky could feel it radiating off her in waves. “If you can get in, then that means other things can too. And I don’t know if you’ve been made aware or not, but we’ve got some big-shot prisoners down here that enemies of the gods would just love to set free. If they were to find out that the Underworld has a security breach, then who knows what kind of chaos they could unleash.” She glanced at him, just barely turning her head in his direction. “I need to know, James. How are you getting in?”

Bucky nibbled at his lip and turned his head up. He was thinking. 

On one hand, he could see where Hades was coming from, and logically he knew he should tell her where his entrance was, but on the other he was afraid she was going to seal him out forever. He’d grown attached to the Underworld, finding it interesting, unique, and beautiful. He wanted to know more about it, explore it, and see what made Hades love it so. He wasn’t ready to give it up, but he knew he had to share. 

Bucky crossed his arms and pressed his lips together, reluctance rolling off him in waves, before admitting, “Cape Matapan. The myths said that if you go down deep enough into the caves, then you’ll reach the Underworld and, well, they’re right. I’ve used them the past couple of times.”

And at that, she smiled at him. Not one of the half-smiles she’d been giving him, but a full-blown smile that lit up her entire face. 

It made Bucky’s heart flutter with exhilaration, and he couldn’t help but think that he should do things to make her smile more. She was breathtaking; drop-dead gorgeous.

She continued to smile at him as she said, “Thank you, James. I really appreciate your honesty.”

He smiled back and nodded. “You’re welcome. I’m sorry I’ve been a pain in the ass, but there’s just something about being down here that I can’t quite put my finger on.”

She chuckled. “I know the feeling. It’s very peaceful and calm down here. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

From there, they started walking in silence, drawing nearer and nearer towards the Acheron. At some point in time, they began to walk next to the Cocytus, the river that fed into the Acheron. The water wailed beside them, the pitiful cries of souls long past that had become trapped in the water’s rush filling the air. The sounds made shivers run down Bucky’s spine.

But it wasn’t just the noise that made Bucky uneasy, although Hades seemed unaffected, it was the figure standing about a dozen yards away from him and Hades.

The man lurking along the river bank was obviously a naiad. He sported the same blue tint to his skin that all water nymphs did, the water beside him only highlighting the features. His dark hair was coiffed and his jawline was marked with a short stubble that came from not shaving in a few days. His heavyset, brown eyes cut through the air as they stared at him and Hades, filling the air with suffocating intensity. His arms were crossed as his eyes trailed Hades. He watched her, studied her, with his unrelenting and almost predatory gaze. 

Bucky wasn’t sure why, but looking at that man watch Hades like she was his made Bucky’s blood boil. For the first time in his life, Bucky wanted to pick a fight with a man—this man. He sneered. “Who’s that?”

“Hmm?” Hades tore her gaze away from the road ahead and followed his line of sight towards the man on the river bank. She stiffened, her lips forming a hard line as she stared at him. “No one,” she murmured, but Bucky wasn’t entirely certain that was the truth.

He could feel his body gravitating towards hers protectively, his shoulders rolling back and his chest puffing out to make him seem more like a threat. He did all in his power to radiate “back off’ vibes, but he wasn’t sure how successful he actually was.

Successful or not, the naiad stayed away, opting to simply watch them as they passed.

They followed the river the rest of the way until it fed into the Acheron before stopping. 

Hades stood at the river’s edge, the water just barely missing her toes where they sat. She looked up at Bucky. “Well, I guess this is your stop.”

Bucky didn’t want it to be, but he said, “Yeah, I guess it is.” He looked down with a frown.

As if sensing his dismay, Hades sighed and dug into her pocket. “I cannot believe I am doing this,” she muttered, pulling out a small leather pouch. Bucky watched her with curiosity as she fiddled with the straps and held it out to him. “Here.”

Bucky took the pouch and pulled it open. Inside there lay about two dozen brown seeds, none of which Bucky recognized. His brows furrowed. “What are these?”

“They’re Asphodel seeds,” she answered, shifting her weight. “They’re what I use to get to the Underworld. You plant one, and a hole will open up for about thirty seconds. Jump in, and you’ll pop out here with only a flower in your stead. You’ll be deposited back into the Asphodel Meadows, but you’ll still be down here.”

Bucky stared at her, dumbfounded. “Wait, you mean you’re just giving me a key to the Underworld?”

“Yes I am, but don’t make me change my mind.” She rolled her eyes. “This is simply because I don’t want you hurting yourself trying to find a way in. And just because I gave you a way in doesn’t mean you can come down every day. You only have so many seeds and each is good for a one-time-one-way trip. There are no do-overs nor repeats, you hear?”

“I hear.” He smiled softly down at her. “Thank you, Hades.”

“(y/n).”

He blinked. “Excuse me?”

“My name. It’s (y/n). You keep calling me ‘Hades.’ No doubt you got that from the myths too, but that’s just the name the mortals gave me. (y/n) is my true name.” She shuffled her feet anxiously, but Bucky couldn’t have been happier.

He didn’t know why, and perhaps she didn’t either, but she was opening up to him. It made him happy, and he figured that if she was willing to share something, he should too. “Then my name is Bucky. Only my mother calls me ‘James.’ To everyone else I’m Bucky.”

Her nose crinkled. “Bucky? Where the Hades did they get that from?”

“My middle name: Buchanan. I know it’s a little weird, but it’s the most familiar name to me. James just feels so formal and uptight; I’d much rather be Bucky.”

“Bucky,” she repeated, testing out the syllables on her tongue. “Alright, Bucky it is.” She straightened up and smiled at him, holding out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Bucky. My name is (y/n), goddess of the dead and Queen of the Underworld.”

Bucky took her hand, a matching smile adorning his face. Her hand was cold as death, but he didn’t care. The warm feeling the contact brought to his chest was worth it. “It’s my pleasure, (y/n). I’m Bucky, god of spring. I hope we can get along and be friends.”

“Yes… Friends… I think I could get used to that.” She nodded and squeezed his hand. “Then, until next time.”

“Until then.” Letting go of her hand, he pulled away and mounted the ferry that had come to take him home. His eyes never once left her, not even when the boat pushed off and into the river. He only lost sight of her when he crossed over into the Mortal World and a wall of mist and fog separated them. He sighed as she vanished, turning to the ferryman—Phil Coulson, he thought was his name.

Phil looked down at him sympathetically. “You’re never going to stop coming down, are you?”

“No, I don’t think I am.” Bucky smiled softly up at him. “I guess you’ll be seeing me a bit more often now.”

“Oh joy. Yet another god I have to deal with.” Phil rolled his eyes. “I just hope you’re less of a pain in my ass than the others.”

Bucky chuckled. “I will do my best to be better than them.”

“Then we’ll get along just fine.” Phil smiled as they came to the mortal side of the Acheron and stopped at the bank. It was dawn now, the sun was just barely rising above the horizon.

Bucky frowned in confusion. “Morning already? It was night when I left and I know I wasn’t down there for that long. How is already morning?”

“Time seems to flow faster works in the Underworld,” Phil said as he tied the ferry to the land. “They say that death feels like nothing.” He pulled the ferry to a stop in the Mortal World and turned to Bucky. “You take care of yourself, godling.”

“You too, Phil.” Bucky stepped off the ferry and appeared again just outside the field where Steve and Sam should’ve been sleeping. He had to be quiet. This early in the morning, his friends were easily aroused and he didn’t want them to know he’d left.

Bucky had teleported right behind a tree where he had a full view of the field. Steve and Sam should’ve been sleeping in the middle of the meadow, but there was one body missing. Bucky frowned and crouched down. Where was Steve? Did he get up early? Oh shit, did he notice that Bucky was missing? Bucky held his breath as his eyes scanned the field, searching for his friend desperately. 

“Looking for somebody?”

Bucky nearly screamed. He turned around, probably white with fear.

Steve had his hands on his hips and was glowering down at his best friend, his eyes intense and slightly pissed. “Where were you?”

“I… Uh…” Bucky had to lie, and lie now. “I went down the mountain to the village.” 

“No, you didn’t. I checked there. I checked the whole island.” Steve’s glare only intensified. “Now, where were you?”

Next 7: Her Thoughts Conflict

Different Worlds (7)

Summary: You’re the youngest Winchester, a girl who needs to show her big brothers that she doesn’t need help. Then one day, on a totally normal vampire hunt that you had all under control, three meddling Avengers come barging in.

Warnings: language, violence, canon divergence, slow burn, me making stuff up

Word Count: 2234

A/N: Is it 2 am? Maybe... Am I listening to nostalgic and depressing music to make myself sad? Maybe...

~*~

Chapter Seven: Some Words Are Exchanged

“Well don’t just stand there,” Crowley said when nobody moved. You all traded glances as you tried to come up with a plan. “Come and take a seat.”

“Cut the act, Crowley,” Dean ordered. “You know why we’re here.”

“And here I thought we were friends, Squirrel.” The demon sighed and with a wave of his hand, the music stopped. “You brought me a new friend, though.” He looked at Bucky and when you moved to interrupt his gaze, Crowley smirked. “Ah, but it looks like the soldier is already taken.”

“Give me the book Fergus,” Rowena drew her son’s attention toward herself.

“Well since you asked so nicely, mother, and sat at my table and ate my food and joined me in some wonderful conversation—”

“Stop stalling,” your oldest brother nearly shouted. “Where is the book?”

“What book?”

“The Magicae Libro.”

“Ah, yes. It’s a powerful book, but why would you think I have it?”

“You stole it,” Jack answered. “After the Avengers left we discovered both you and the book missing.”

“Then let me rephrase it,” Crowley grinned while everyone else either glared or rolled their eyes at him. “It’s a powerful, very powerful book. Why would you think I still have it?”

“You gave it away?” you groaned and resisted the urge to stomp your foot like a child. Why did this have to be so fucking hard? It was starting to feel like a scavenger hunt. “Who did you give it to?”

“I didn’t ‘give it away,’” Crowley scoffed and sat in the chair at the head of the table. He motioned to the other chairs as if the action would convince your group to dine with him. “Honestly I’m hurt that you would even think that I would do something as dumb as giving the Magicae Libro away.”

“So you’re saying someone stole it from you?” Sam cocked his head.

“Stole it? From me?” You had to bite back a grin at seeing Crowley’s very offended expression. “First you think that I simply gave it away, then you think that somehow, someone came into Hell to steal it from me?” He paused for a moment. “Though I’m sure you morons would have found a way to steal it from me.”

“So where is it?”

“Where is what?”

“Crowley, I swear to fuck—”

“He’s stalling,” Bucky said to your surprise. “He told us that he wouldn’t give the book away and that it wasn’t stolen. He still has it.” He narrowed his eyes. “But not for long. He traded it for something.”

“How do you know?” You look at the blue-eyed man.

“My training,” he replied simply.

“That’s amazing.”

“Thank you, doll.”

“Okay,” Rowena snapped. “We get that (Y/N)’s boyfriend—” Both you and Bucky interrupted with a couple of half-assed denials. The red-haired witch cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow at you. “We get that (Y/N)’s boyfriend is good at whatever he’s good at, but I need the book.”

“Yeah, we need the book,” Dean said holding his knife up threateningly.

“Who are you giving it to?” Jack added.

“And where and when does the exchange take place?” Sam joined.

“Um, I’m personally more worried about what Crowley traded it for,” you point out. A small smile crept up your face when Bucky nodded his agreement with you.

“What makes you think I would tell you?” Crowley leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

“We’ll postpone killing you,” Dean threatened.

“Would you let them kill me, mother?” the king of Hell turned his gaze on to his mother who sharply responded,

“Maybe. You are being a pain in my ass.”

Crowley opened his mouth to retaliate but before he could get anything out, you jumped in.

“What if we trade you something better than what the other party offered you?”

“You leave me alone for two years and I’ll answer your questions,” he said immediately. “That means you all let me do whatever I want for two whole years. No stopping me or my plans.”

“As long as it doesn’t endanger anyone,” Bucky negotiated.

Crowley shook his head. Superheroes, right? They never want anyone to die. There will always be casualties, but you can’t save everyone. It’s a lesson all hunters must learn early on.

“As long as it doesn’t hurt more than ten people,” Sam offered but the demon continued to shake his head.

“It doesn’t matter who he kills as long as it’s not me,” Rowena sighed.

 “Fine,” you said. “Twenty-four people. You’re limited to one every month.”

“Twenty-four?” Bucky asked as Crowley pretended to mull over the offer. “That’s a lot of people.”

“Without limitations, his body count would be in the hundreds each year.”

“I’ll take the deal.” Crowley held out his hand.

“Remember, if there’s more than one person per month, we will intervene,” Dean warned and stepped forward to shake the demon’s hand.

“Is that it?” Jack asked. “Has the deal been made?”

“What do you want a kiss?” Crowley made a face. “Anyways, my client, or clients, are the twin witches by the names of Myra and Alek.”

“Those pieces of shit,” Rowena spat. Then she turned to the rest of you. “They were, and I suppose still are, hungry for power. I heard that they were the ones Lucifer recruited to get the book in the first place.”

“Yes, I do seem to remember them saying something about their Dark Lord,” mused Crowley. “They decided to meet, well not meet per se. The book will appear in the Stull Cemetery at the witching hour at their request.”

“So they have a sense of humor,” Sam deadpanned.

“Stull Cemetery’s in Kansas,” you pointed out.

“Right, okay. Let’s get out of here and come up with a plan.”

“You’re not sticking around for dinner?” Crowley looked at the table.

In response to his question, Rowena mumbled some Latin under her breath and you all appeared in the bunker’s library in a flash of purple flames. Cas jumped up from his seat in surprise and the fire in the bowl died out. 

“Do you have the book?” He asked once you were all orientated again. 

Dean shook his head no and explained the deal you had made with Crowley. 

“So we go in and get the book before the witches,” Sam summarized. Talk about easier said than done.

“Rowena, are you in?” You looked at her. 

“I would very much enjoy obliterating those pieces of shit.”

“What about you, Bucky?”

“I think I gotta sit this one out,” he said slowly and you could feel yourself visibly deflate. “You guys sound like you’ve got this handled anyway.”

“Okay.” The room was silent. Oh, fuck. Everyone’s eyes were on you. You have to get out of here. “I’ll show you out.”

“Can I talk to you about something?” Bucky asked once you left the library.

“Uh, sure.” You had a few ideas of what was on his mind. Was it going to Hell? Was it the multiple almost-kisses? You really needed to talk about that.

“Are you sure letting Crowley kill one person every month is a good idea?”

Hmm. Not quite what you were expecting. You should have known this was coming. Definitely would have preferred the almost-kiss topic. Maybe have a redo.

“Well, to keep the book out of those twitches’ hands, we had to make a deal appealing to the King of Hell.” You led him up the stairs, getting very close to stomping. “As I said before, he would kill a lot more fucking people if we gave him even the slightest hint of…” You turned around at the door to face the superhero. “Listen. Any other scenario would definitely have a body count higher than twenty-four. In a shorter time frame than two years might I add. Trust me. I’m not exactly thrilled about this deal either, but there will always be casualties. I would think you would be one of the people to understand.”

“I do understand,” Bucky said when you finally gave him a moment to speak. “But I thought you would have tried harder.”

He opened the front door and left silently. The slam of the door behind him echoing a bit too much in the large, empty room.

~*~

Bucky wished he hadn’t left like that. In fact, he kind of wished he hadn’t left at all. The moment the door had closed, a bit too loudly in his opinion, he had regretted the goodbye. Or lack of one. As much as he wanted to go back in and set things right with (Y/N), he was never one to properly deal with his emotions.

He marched back to the small quinjet he had flown to Kansas in. The journey back was quiet, but not in Bucky’s head. The events of the day kept repeating in his mind just like a record stuck on repeat.

The day could have ended so differently. He had almost kissed her. Twice. Once even in Hell. Fuck, the fact that he had been to Hell, actual, literal Hell, made his mind spin. And he hadn’t even left the castle.

But he had almost kissed (Y/N). He wondered if she wanted to kiss him too. Would it have happened if Dean hadn’t interrupted? They had been seconds, inches away.

And now he probably fucked everything up because he had to question her. He knew that there would always be casualties. He knew she didn’t want anyone to die. But he wished that she had tried harder.

Twenty-four was a pretty large number. Twenty-four people were a lot of people. Bucky wondered if he even knew twenty-four people right now.

It was eight pm when Bucky landed in New York and his stomach was practically yelling for food. He half wished he had taken up Crowley’s offer of a feast. But then again, who knew if it was poisoned or cursed or whatever the demon King of Hell would do to food. Probably curse the consumer to be stuck in Hell like the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades.

The kitchen was empty except for… great. Bucky sighed, knowing that the two men in the kitchen serving themselves ice cream wouldn’t let him have a peaceful dinner as he had hoped. They greeted him happily when they saw him and Bucky mumbled his greeting back. He wandered over to the fridge, praying that there were some decent leftovers. He didn’t think he could eat instant ramen right now.

“Hey, Buck,” Steve called out. “Where’ve you been?”

“Yeah, man. You look like shit,” Sam joked, though Bucky was sure there was some truth to it.

He ignored Sam’s oh so important contribution to the conversation and answered Steve in one word: “Hell.”

“C’mon, it couldn’t have been that bad,” Steve prompted, eager for more details.

“No,”  Bucky corrected as he placed a bowl of spaghetti in the microwave. “I literally went to Hell with the Winchesters.”

“Oh, so you were with (Y/N),” Sam smirked.

“Why did they need to go to Hell?” Steve asked, he too ignoring the Falcon.

“Apparently Crowley stole the Magicae Libro from them the other day.”

“Did it end in a fight?” Bucky could clearly hear the concern in Steve’s voice.

“No.” This has had to be the longest microwave minute in history. One of them would come to the conclusion soon enough. Sure enough, the next words out of Sam’s mouth…

“So trouble in paradise, huh? That’s what’s gotcha so down?”

“I wouldn’t call it paradise if nothing ever happened between us.”

“But you want something to happen,” Steve confirmed the same time Sam asked what had happened.

Finally, the microwave timer went off and Bucky managed to escape answering his friends as well as the onslaught of questions that were sure to follow. He took refuge in his room and ate the spaghetti on his bed. Bucky could see (Y/N)’s file on his desk. It was pinned underneath the Supernatural book Wanda had lent him.

The specific book was titled ‘Skin’ and it was about skinwalkers. It had matched up with what (Y/N) had told Bucky about Dean’s first serious run-in with the law. Bucky kind of wanted to read more of the Supernatural books, God was actually a decent writer, but at the same time, it felt sort of like reading (Y/N)’s diary.

Shouldn’t he be learning all about her from, well, her? Bucky supposed that she could also look up his life on the internet. Although the media wasn’t always true or nice to Bucky. How true were the Supernatural books? Did he trust God, or Chuck Shurley, to know (Y/N)’s thoughts and emotions in those situations? She must have changed a lot since the books had been written.

Shit. Maybe Sam was kind of right with the whole ‘obsessed with her’ thing. It wasn’t an obsession, it was just simple curiosity. Bucky was only interested in learning more about the hunter lifestyle. Or (Y/N)’s hunting lifestyle. Or (Y/N). Damn, he really couldn’t get her out of his head.

When he finally went to bed after sluggishly completing his nightly routine and confirming to Steve that he was okay, it was twelve thirty-two. He wondered how (Y/N) and the rest of the gang were handling the witches.

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

Tag List (strike though means tag didn’t work):

@grav3dollie-666 @broco8

Hadestown Notes- Act 1

K, so these are my scrambled notes from act 1. I wrote these during intermission and also at midnight so keep that in mind. they are kind of crazy, and i apologize, but this just how my brain works. also sends asks if you want specifics on anything. also JESSIE SHELTON was on for Eurydice and she was amazing. i also go back and forth with character and actor names, but you know who I mean.

Road to Hell:

hermes took his time and it was glorious

Hades kind of stood against the door , watching persephone have fun during the band part

also reeve did his little wave and it was adorable

also Andre waved and pointed to me

Anyway the Wind Blows:

Ok

Kay’s laugh is the greatest thing

Yvette like smiles and looks around teasingly after blowing out the candle

She’s like ooooops sorry not sorry

Orpheus stares straight at eurydice the whole time

The WHOLE time

Come Home with Me:

hermes is like, I told you boy

when he says yes it’s hilarious

Orpheus has no idea how to act at all

he kind of like jumps onto the table next to eurydice

It is adorable

Wedding Song:

Jessie totally teases reeve and I am here for it

orpheus was so nervous

when eurydice layed and got bended back on the table Tim bent jessie almost fully back and she was laughing so hard

Epic I:

okay

Seph has the biggest smile until she see hades isn’t paying attention then she looks so disappointed and sad

Livin it Up on Top:

okay

so seph literally has to hold on to the railing she is THAT hammered

she clings to it as she walks to kiss hades

hades acknowledges her kiss too late

she like stumbles, holding onto the chairs to get her coat and bag

she waves the most curt goodbye

I thought she would fall down the stairs tho

she is the HAPPIEST drunk

she is just bring the party and also being the best hype man

she pulls eurydice close so fast that jessie stumbled

the nose boop was precious

orpheus sprints to grab her coat

he is so happy

i didn’t know reeve could reach such a pitch

also amber rubbing circles on Tim’s chest is a damn mood her smile is so flirty

All I’ve Ever Known:

seph brushes orpheus’ cheek

she also does a walk around eurydice and kind of nods in approval of her

hermes gives her her cup back, and she thinks it’s liquor but she’s wrong

her face tho

Jessie looks so scared at first

Then she kind of started grabbing at orpheus

it’s rough at first but then gets softer

they fall in love

she does the handstand and almost kicks completely over

and they kiss

Way Down Hadestown:

Eurydice watched seph like the whole time

Seph is so pissed

she falls to her knees and both orpheus and eurydice move to help her but she nods them off,

she gives the fates the look and growls at them, it seems to be a recurring defense for her

andres umbrella was beautiful

your early sounds so bitter and unsupirised

i missed ya

seph’s tight lipped smile is so forced

when orpheus goes in front of eurydice he kind of like jumps and waves goodbye at the gods

A Gathering Storm:

K

afra gave jessie her jacket and it was cute

eurydice kisses orpheus’s shoulder before leaving the bar

Epic II:

it starts out soft but he gets more confident

i don’t know why but i love the transition to chant

Chant:

Ok but

amber tries to blow away the smoke from her face

She looks absolutely disgusted

she’s also like genuinely surprised at how bad it is

When hades tries to cup her cheek and seph shakes her head no he waves his hand in kind of like a fine motion

seph shields her eyes from the lights constantly and gets a look of semi-understanding when hades sings brighter than the light of day

when he does it the second time and she says yes he grabs her hand

as she starts to look around again hades cups her cheek once more to distract her and she almost falls back in rythm with him before realizing what she’s doing and ripping away

when she rips away she sort of stumbles around like she want to leave but is unable

Hades is v PISSED when she does this, and makes a gesture as if he was conducting the drums, and makes the sounds of hadestown grow louder

when the fates took Eurydice’s stuff you could feel the pain in Jessie’s voice

really jessie is just amazing

when seph sing her third verse hades looks so angry, so mad that she doesn’t appreciate what he’s done

when hades brings up cheating seph kind of nods him off thinking he’s bluffing

she goes to snap at him/do her growling defense mechanism as he steps off the platform but she sees eurydice and her face completely crumbles

Hey Little Songbird:

hades, take me to the underworld plz

god he removed the glove on the hand he used to reach for Eurydice’s ticket

jessie seemed to be legit terrified of him

When the Chips are Down:

The dancing

Just the dancing

Holy shit the dancing

Gone, I’m Gone:

Eurydice was crying

The fates are bitches I love them

also Kay and jewelle looked me in the eyes like twice

Wait for Me:

FUCKKK

THE STAGE CAN DO THAT

SHHHHHIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTT

Orpheus looks so happy when he calls for hermes

He wanted to show Eurydice his song so bad it was so sad

while Reeve was running on the stage he kept tripping

when the fates started singing he jumped and raised his hands thinking he’d been caught

Why We Build the Wall:

Hades waited till Seph was looking to loosen his freaking tie

he loosened it almost fully and had the smugist expression

She looked so freaking heartbroken when Eurydice went up with Hades

Seph looked so depressed the whole time

Hades was so happy to see her conforming it was sickening

he also brushed Persephone’s arm on his way to the stairs to bring her gaze onto eurydice

anybody want a drink was super sad because persephone threw on the fakest smile trying to pretend she was okay

also i love you with all my heart amber gray

i also loved that they added feathers to her black flower crown

and also how puffy her snood is that’s a big wig

The Myth of Persephone in “Mythic” The Musical

Most of these Persephone Project posts are for books or chapters of books so it’s always exciting and mildly anxiety-inducing to encounter a visual medium to write about. I’ve only done one musical in these Persephone Project write-ups and that was for my favorite musical, Hadestown. Now the myth of Persephone is underlying in that musical, which is part of what made writing about it a unique experience and I eventually expanded and edited my original write-up for the Hadestown Zine. But then my buddy Suzi told me about this musical. It took me a while to work up the nerve to listen to it as it’s a teen pop rock musical version of the myth of Persephone. If you couldn’t tell from me saying Hadestown is my favorite musical, I should say that teen musicals are not really my thing. I think “Heathers” is the only one I would cite as really liking. I wasn’t even into teen musicals when I was a teen. But in the interest of post consistency, I’m going to divide this into two parts: one where I specifically talk about the way the myth is done and one where I just talk about the show. The Myth In this version of the myth we get a lot of interesting character development for Persephone and Demeter that is happening concurrently throughout the show. Because of the “teen musical” concept the main theme is heavy on the ideas of growing up, finding one’s place in the world, and accepting your children’s adulthood.

To zero in on Persephone first, we find out somewhat repeatedly throughout the first three songs that she has lived her whole life on Earth and hasn’t really met the other gods but is motivated by a desire to find a place where she feels like she belongs. We get the sense that she feels smothered by her mother, a bit superfluous next her mother, and that while she’s okay with her life she hasn’t seen enough of the world to feel like she’s sure she wants to stay where she is. She wants her own purpose basically. The idea of shifting a focus to Persephone and giving her these motivations gets an A+ from me and is obviously a common feature of modern adaptions of the myth (I think this is most comparable to George O’Connor’s Hades comic).

She bumps into Aphrodite and convinces her to take her to a party Zeus is throwing for Athena (Aphrodite and Zeus are main characters numbers 4 and 5, by the way, and have their own motivations that I will get to). Seph says some not at all nice things to her mother before she leaves when Demeter tries to stop her. At the party Persephone doesn’t really have much fun and bumps into Hades who has come to yell at Zeus about a surplus of virgins in the Underworld. They chit chat a bit, she tells him he’s nice and he denies it, but this is an establishing of their chemistry. Another common trope in modern retellings: having them meet before going under.

Aphrodite then decides she wants to “stir shit up” and plans to do that by getting Hades to hook up with her. He shoots her down and as revenge she curses him to kiss Persephone (who I think is also cursed because she goes from “wow, my first kiss” to “take me to bed” in literally twenty seconds). Now the idea of their relationship starting from a love god’s influence is an interesting detail that is uncommon but certainly not unheard of. Ovid did it as was the case with Allison Shaw’s Persephone comic but I think both of those used Eros instead of Aphrodite. Either way, the force of their passion (or like, the force of Hades’ horniness at this point) leads to them going underground and Aphrodite is immediately sorry for what she did. We get this unique detail about how spells are broken underground which I’ve never heard before but kind of organically makes sense. Like, why would earth/sky god magic have any effect in the land of the dead? It works.

Once underground, they break apart and get awkward. I haven’t really addressed it yet but the interpretation of Hades in this one has elements I have never seen. First of all, his primary motivation in this one is just to be left alone. Persephone asks him to take her home and he tells her he can only go above ground once every six months. This six months rule I have really never heard of but I guess it does set the audience up for six months being an important concept later on and provides a reason for him to not help her. I mean, that reason could have been a lot of other things but it’s a reason. He then tells her to just go away and stay out of trouble and when they meet up later he apologizes for getting her stuck down there but basically says there’s nothing he can do. Overall, his characterization at this point reads as someone who is trying very hard to be perceived a certain way (a “deep, dark damaged soul”) but is actually just kind of socially awkward and not in any way bad.

Alone Persephone basically decides to go around sprucing up the Underworld through interactions with Charon, Ascalaphus, and Minos. Hades gets annoyed about it (annoyance is kind of his primary emotion) and after he thinks about locking her up over it, they have a heart-to-heart about his daddy issues and this reputation he never wanted. It’s kind of their starting to fall in love moment. Persephone then gets attacked by furies and Hades saves her. They have another actually falling in love moment where Persephone convinces him that the Underworld is actually kind of great and he believes her.

This should clinch things for their relationship but then Aphrodite shows up in the Underworld to try to fix things (a thing that definitely never happens and also kind of can’t) and Hades tells Persephone to go with her because he seems convinced that his feelings are still a part of the spell or something. Persephone refuses and basically tells him off that she likes it here and runs away. Then she chooses to eat the pomegranate mostly for personal reasons but one seed is definitely for “the guy I love”. The whole interaction is curiously hostile. It leaves me in this weird place of wondering if I should even be supporting this relationship.

After eating, Demeter shows up (again, a thing she probably can’t do) and she and Persephone make up and offer some tearful goodbyes since Persephone can’t leave now. Hades comes after hearing about the seeds, apologizes, offers to make her Queen of the Dead, and they kiss or something. Then Aphrodite and Zeus show up (WTF) for some Zeus Ex Machina that doesn’t work. Persephone gives Demeter back her powers since she’s Queen, which she lost going underground I guess because of the established curse rule but it’s kind of flimsy, and Demeter sets the six months rule since she is the maker of fruit anyway. While this ending feels sloppy in a lot of ways, I like the idea that Persephone and Demeter did these things for each other. I just wish Demeter’s decision didn’t come off so self serving and this probably could have been solved with a tip from, of all things, the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys interpretation where Persephone says outright that she doesn’t want to be forced to chose between them. At least it’s better than Zeus setting the rule, which is how it is in basically every other telling (except like, Hadestown). 

In Demeter’s concurrent plot, her primary motivation is find Persephone, of course, but to do this she has to get over this fact that everyone thinks of her as a lesser goddess without any real power. This was really strange to me, but that set up does pay off. She takes down a cyclops, confronts Zeus (a thing from most myths!), and then destroys the crops on hearing what happened to Persephone (also good). So her story is actually fairly in line with a lot of myth retellings except for this inferiority thing. Where does this come from? Well, that’s where her plot rubs up against Zeus (and also Aphrodite and implicitly Hades). Zeus’ primary motivation is to stay in charge and part of how he does this is by belittling everyone else. The Act 2 reveal for Demeter is that Zeus was lying about her weakness, and she’s only been operating on half a tank forever. Effectively, Zeus is the antagonist of the story. Kind of interesting since in a lot of versions of this myth, Zeus approving Hades suit of Persephone or alternatively offering Persephone to him, is the catalyst to the rest of the story, but this is seen as a neutral thing.

Overall, there were some interesting choices in adapting this myth to a musical for a teen audience. I feel like the Demeter plot works really well and that the Persephone plot works pretty well too. The problem I have is with how the Hades and Persephone aspect of this story is handled. It has a lot of great notes to it, but it doesn’t really come together because of the need for frequent denials and a sort of uncomfortableness with Hades character. From a strict story perspective, the concept of Hades and how his relationship to Seph develops is one of the weakest things about the book.

So that leads me to... The Musical

This musical is, uh, kind of a mess. 

As I said before, the ending is really sloppy and the book handles Hades’ character and his relationship with Persephone really poorly. Aside from eliminating or reframing some of those million times he denies her, I think the musical could have really benefited from a song or a dialogue scene where Hades is the main character. Persephone and Demeter have really well developed motivations and personalities because they have a lot of moments where they are speaking more to themselves than anyone else and we can see what they really think and feel. Aphrodite gets a few moments of this in act one and a whole song (that I dislike so much I can’t even listen to it) in act two. Zeus has a whole song explaining his drive. But every Hades song is in the context of him speaking to Persephone with the exception of a very brief moment in “Summer All The Time” where we get an initial vibe for who he is. A moment in act two when we can actually see his real thoughts and feelings towards Persephone would do a lot for making their relationship (and maybe even his denials of her) make sense. I really like the two songs they have together but the utility of those songs is different from actually showing what Hades really feels.

There are other weird book issues, the relationships between Zeus, Hades, and their father springs to mind, but I gotta move on.

To talk a bit more about the music and lyrics, this musical has a lot of cringe. Like, a lot. I have a whole document of the cringiest lines in it and it’s much longer than my lists of “ridiculous but great” lines and “just great” lines. There are so many failed attempts at being hip that I physically cringe when I listen to the soundtrack and after 20+ times I’m still cringing. I get that it’s directed at a teen audience, but I work with teenagers. I know they would cringe with me. The lyrics that aren’t cringe have a tendency to be kind of trite or unmemorable. I think Demeter’s songs are the least cringe, but they’re also some of the least interesting musically. The music overall is kind of blandly enjoyable really. The songs are fun mostly and I do really like some of them (”My Own Place In The Pantheon” is cute, “Mess Around” makes me want to dance, “Dark, Damaged Soul” is so cringe that it loops back around to fun pop punk, “Rebellious Children” makes me laugh, and both “Not A Chance In Hell” and “Beauty In The Darkness” give me some feelings) but none are a brilliant work that I would send to my non-musical friends as purely a good song. 

So about the acting and singing. Well, let me be clear that I did not see either the London or the Montreal productions (although tragically I think the London production was running at a time I was in London and Montreal is a long but not in any way unreasonable drive from my house so I’m not pleased to discover this musical so late). My opinion is based on the London soundtrack and an audio bootleg of the Montreal show (which is how I know all the dialogue bits too). 

I think London Persephone has a better voice but Montreal Persephone makes better acting choices (pitches her voice down a bit so she sounds a bit more mature, reads lines in much more reasonable ways, etc).

Both Demeters are good singers but I think Montreal Demeter makes better acting choices. She feels more authentically Demeter to me by mitigating the coward aspects of London Demeter.

Between Hadeses there is no contest. I love London Hades’ voice. As a Hadestown fan I was skeptical of a tenor Hades but his voice has this very beautiful sound in the lower notes (he doesn’t sound like Michael Arden but Michael Arden’s voice also has this quality and I love it) and it’s very powerful and he has just the right vibe to sell it. Montreal Hades has a very reedy voice and overall gives off a distinct whiny teen vibe that is just all wrong. Young Hades I am totally fine with in a story like this but he has to be mature to compensate.

Both Aphrodites are great. The character of Aphrodite is a type, and I’m fairly certain you will always be able to find a good Aphrodite.

The Zeus situation is weird because the interpretations of Zeus are wildly different in both productions. London Zeus has a nasally voice and a kind of guido look and vibe that I think works great. He’s really slimy. I feel like he’s going to pull out a wad of cash to make someone sleep with the fishes. Montreal Zeus is more big personality gospel singer and is styled accordingly. It doesn’t feel right for the character as written but it’s a fully integrated performance.

For our minor Underworld characters, they were all male in London but Montreal made Ascalaphus and Minos women, which I wholly cosign but I think Minos should have been an alto. Also Alecto is in it but male which is weird because Alecto is female. She’s a fury. Basically they genderbent everyone but Charon, I guess. Okay.

If you’ve got a choice of which to listen to (like if you have a Montreal hook-up) I still say go with London overall. It’s on YouTube.

So finally, I’m going to talk about the aesthetic. Both shows seemed to have really minimalist sets, which I’d kind of have to see in action to understand. It seems like an odd choice but it might just be a cost effective one. Every image from London looks more like a concert than a show (by product of the success of Six, maybe?) but the Montreal shots look a bit more “acting-y.”

As for costumes, oh boy. Let me present an image of our mains from London:

So let me ignore the obvious for a second to say that Demeter in both shows is very hippie and Aphrodite is always blonde and wearing some kind of shiny silver thing. Both of these things work. The Zeus’ as I said before are very different but tailored to the performance being given.

Now, um

A list of responses from my musical-going and myth-aware friends about this picture: * That is NOT THEM. * Oh no. * Looks like the costume designer was really inspired by American Idiot. * This takes me right back to high school in 2003. For the reference this is Persephone’s underworld look specifically but since her above ground look is a black t-shirt, jean shorts, fishnet tights, and Converse it’s not much of a change. I think both shows adopt this idea that the Underworld changes your wardrobe.

This mid-2000s pop punk styling is just a weird choice all around (although you could argue that Hades is actually more classic punk while Persephone is very specifically mid-2000s but still). On a more minor note, what’s with the hair? I mean there’s nothing saying you can’t have a blonde Persephone but why do this when you already have two other blondes in the main cast? Usually Persephone is a redhead or has brown hair and that would have been nice. With Hades hair I don’t even know what to say aside from why? I’m not going to say that Hades should only have dark, grey, or white hair depending on age (I’m gonna think it though) but this was a really curious choice. Also, the facial hair. Is that a John Waters mustache or am I losing my mind?

Montreal did a lot better here.

Hades’ look is solid. I like the warlock coat and how it’s kind of a fast track to intimidating. I like how without it he’s kind of at an intersection of art student and goth. It’s all good. I don’t even mind the hair because at least it’s not silly.

Persephone’s look is fine. I’m a little ruined by my friend pointing out that her above ground outfit is really 70s, but I’m trying to forget it. It’s better; I didn’t say it was the best they could do. Her underworld look is a great idea but that dress looks really unflattering to me. Maybe something like a black leather-y obi belt would really improve the shape and bring a bit more underworld to the look. Not sure what’s going on in the middle picture unless she has two underworld outfits but it looks fine. The barrettes were definitely a choice. Was flowers too obvious? Flowers would be better.

Also, Ascalaphus is adorable.

So in conclusion, someone hire me to red pen this musical so it can be good enough to continue its life after covid. I have a special place in my heart for flawed musicals that need a good red penning. 

Promises (xv)

This morning I woke up and my story had 250 reads and by the time I posted this chapter I had reach 291 reads! Thank you everyone who has taken the time to reach my story!

- MaKenzie ❤️

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Sleep hasn't been coming to me over the past few nights. Every night I am haunted with images of him turning around. The broken look on his face as I was dragged away. There was only one petal left on my flower, tomorrow I would be going home. As excited I should be I also fear he will reject me when I get home. He didn't trust me enough to make it all the way home, he will probably think that I will just leave him again.

Persephone hasn't come to visit me since the last night she was here. Being left alone to try to process everything has been difficult. I have tried her meditation methods and writing things down as she said but it was all just too hard. My mind was racing with all of the emotions that I couldn't process.

I felt like I was losing my mind. Reality and my thoughts became so blurred I had a hard time distinguishing what is what. I felt like screaming even though no one would hear me. Part of me wishes that I never remembered anything, it's too overwhelming right now. But I know that I wouldn't change anything if it meant I could never remember him. If could never remember the poet, my love, Orpheus...I would just be a shell.

"Eurydice are you in there?" a soft voice called from beyond my door. I must have been so wrapped up in my thoughts I didn't hear the door. Instantly I perked up hearing her voice, I guess I missed her more than I thought. She stood on the other side of the door with a smile. "Hi dear!" she squealed pulling me into her arms.

Without thinking I blurted out, "I missed you!" She just laughed and pulled me in closer to her. I am so thankful that she came into my life. Who knows where I would be without her. Pulling back, she had the biggest smile on her face.

She rested one of her hands on my cheek. "Are you ready to go home?" I could feel my smile taking over my face at the thought of being in the arms of my poet. Persephone looked like a giddy teenager when I smiled. Slinging an arm around my shoulder she started to lead me out of my place, "We have a party to get to."

Mr. Hades was throwing one last party for his wife. Tomorrow morning, she would be back on her way to the Overworld. Tomorrow morning, I would be going home to see my poet! I still have no clue how she is planning on sneaking me on the train in front of her husband and everyone. "Hey, Persephone can I ask you something?" She just hummed back in response. "How exactly are you planning on getting me on the train tomorrow morning?"

She turned towards me with a sly smile, "You just leave that to me songbird. It will all become clear to you soon." Before I got the chance to ask any more questions we had reached the party. Persephone took off towards a table filled with cups. She came back and handed one to me. I accepted the cup gratefully, downing the liquid. Wine. It must be her last gift to those stuck in the Underworld.

We fell into a comfortable conversation. She told me about how she and Hades have talked about visits during her time in the Overworld. The smile on her face as she spoke of her husband made me smile. She was just so happy, I was envois. Keep your head up Eurydice, tomorrow we will be with the poet again.

After a few more drinks, I could feel the negative thoughts flood out of my mind. For the first time in a long time, I felt carefree. Persephone dragged me out to where everyone was dancing. I couldn't help but laugh at our moves, the alcohol making everything much more fun.

Suddenly the sound of a deep voice stopped the music, "Good evening everyone!" Mr. Hades stood holding a microphone, a slight smirk on his face. No one has ever seen him really smile but Persephone swears it's the most beautiful thing. "Tonight we are gathered here to celebrate my beautiful wife's last night here in the Underworld. Tomorrow morning I will bid her goodbye so she can bring life to the Overworld."

The crowd around us cheered. Memories of spring came to my mind. The flowers, the fresh air, the sun, all the things I can't wait to experience again. "I would like to take this time to dance with my beautiful wife. Everyone, please enjoy her gift to you in the form of fruit and wine while we dance and enjoy the night!" The crowd again erupted into cheers. Persephone pulled away from me towards her husband. The rust of us created a circle around them as a slower, folk song came on. Hades and Persephone glided across the room like they were floating on air. The happiness radiating off of them brought a smile to my face. My poet did this. Orpheus brought the world back into tune.

When the song ended, Hades dipped Persephone and kissed her. The action brought a tear to my eye oddly enough. Seeing someone that I consider family now so happy just warms my heart. The music picked up enough and Persephone turned towards me. Hades retreated as she brought me closer to her. We continued to drink and dance the night away. All of the worries I have for tomorrow were melted away. Right now I was free.

The sudden tapping on my shoulder brought Persephone and me to a halt. Turning I locked eyes with the stone-cold eyes of the King. Instantly I felt like I had sobered up, my hands started to shake. He sighed before holding his hand out. Persephone accepted his hand and stood next to him. "I think we all need to go speak in my office." My eyes widened at this. My anxiety started to skyrocket. He knows, doesn't he? I'm not gonna get to go home, am I?

Persephone tried to give me a reassuring smile but it only put me on edge more. The workers stared as I walked with the King and Queen. Some of them shot me sympathetic looks while others stared on with curiosity. I haven't been in the mines for nearly six months, my friends I made from there slowly fell out of touch.

Some of the workers I look at a bit differently, especially the ones that beat up my Orpheus. When I see them all I can picture is them nearly beating my love to death. I know I shouldn't hold that against them but it was still just burned into my brain...seeing Orpheus bleeding, struggling.

The farther away we got from the party the more nervous I got. The entire walk to Mr. Hades' office was quiet, it was unnerving. Last time I was called into his office I signed my life away. I felt like the walls were closing in on me as we descended the stairs. "Have a seat," his voice was too calm for my liking.

I took a seat while he and his wife sat on the other end of the desk. Persephone had the biggest smile on her face which calmed me a little bit. Hades sat stone-faced which got rid of any calm feeling that I had. The silence was just starting to freak me out more. "Hades stop torturing the poor girl," Persephone said lightly pushing his shoulder.

He just smiled at his wife before turning to me. Oh, he does smile. I noticed him fidgeting with a paper on his desk. "So I hear you have your memory back," that small sentence caused my blood to run cold.

I just opened and closed my mouth trying to find what to say. He raised his eyebrow at me as if he was waiting for an answer. "Yes sir," I squeaked out.

This caused both Hades and Persephone to burst out laughing. What is going on? Before I could ask any questions, Persephone cut me off, "You are not in trouble dear." Her voice was soothing, "I informed Hades about everything." She looked at her husband lovingly.

"Everything?" She told him that she was going to smuggle me home? There is no way I will be leaving here now.

I could feel tears start to come as I thought about never seeing the poet again. "Eurydice do you remember when you first came here?" Hades' voice interrupted my thoughts. I was unable to speak so I just shook my head. He lifted the paper in front of him, investigating it before looking back at me. "You signed this contract without hesitation," oh so he has my contract...why? "You came into my office looking for food and shelter and instead...you signed your life away."

Part of him sounded regretful, almost as if he is ashamed of tricking me into signing the contract. There is no way that he feels sorry for me though. I was ashamed at myself for signing the contract though. Hades stood from his desk, the contract still in hand, and walked over to where I was sitting. He strode straight past me to the fireplace.

In an instant, the place was aglow with the light from a fire. A hand was placed on my shoulder, Persephone. She nodded at her husband, giving him an encouraging smile. Hades closed his eyes before dropping the contract into the fire. A sudden rush of every memory ran through me, like a movie of my life was playing. I suddenly felt very much like my old self, I had control over my emotions.

Looking up at Persephone I wanted some confirmation that this wasn't a dream. She just smiled at me and gave me a nod. Tears came to my eyes when I heard Hades, "You're free." He freed me? Persephone ran over to him enveloping him in an embrace. How? Why? Am I really free? The feeling of being shackled I have felt ever since signing this contract was gone.

"I told you to trust me," Persephone's joyful voice rang through the room. She was still wrapped up in her husband's arms, smiling at me from by the fireplace.

Quickly I ran up and wrapped both of them in a hug. Hades stiffened underneath me but Persephone returned my warm embrace. "Thank you," I mumbled for what felt like a million times into the embrace.

I pulled back looking at the two who saved my life. Hades' eyes were wide which caused Persephone to laugh at his expression. A slight blush came on my face as I realized I just hugged the King of the Underworld. Persephone just laughed harder when she saw my expression.

We returned to our seats after she had finally calmed down. She started to explain how she spoke to her husband about everything that she had planned. It surprised me how accepting Hades was of everything that happened. Something tells me that there is more to the story but it's not my place to know.

"What are you going to tell everyone when they come to watch her board the train tomorrow and I board with her?" I was curious about what he was going to say to everyone. We all know that the reason he wouldn't just let us go a year ago was that he didn't want to seem like a spineless King.

Hades' face dropped slightly as did Persephone's. Although there was also a spark in her eyes, a look of excitement hidden. Hades looked sadly at his wife, pulling her close to him. She gave him a short kiss before turning to me, "That is something we need to talk about," her voice was quiet. My heart started to race, she sounded really sad. Am I not going to be able to ride the train? Oh no is he going to make me walk all the way?

Two whistles rang through the air.

"We are going to leave tonight."

The Whitethorn Hearth: Chapter 3

PJO Arranged Marriage/Royalty AU Part 9

Rating: M | Pairing: Solangelo

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Summary: The long-awaited celebration of Prince Nico’s wedding to William of Solace has finally arrived.  Between all the wedding duties, keeping Octavian as far from the royal family as possible, and dealing with the occasional fiasco, the grooms still manage to find plenty of time to themselves.  But as they enter the new chapter of their life, they will encounter new challenges.  Will must say goodbye to his family and move to a new home.  Nico remains unpopular among his own people and sometimes still struggles to express himself to his husband-to-be.  And what will happen between Nico’s guard and the pretty maid who works for Will’s family?

Nico’s day had started off miserable and it didn’t seem like his wedding night was going to be much different.  He was only half-dressed, his room was full of people waiting for the bedding ceremony, and Will was nowhere in sight.  Nico never been so uncomfortable in his life.

He didn’t even feel entirely at home in his new room yet.  Nico had only moved quarters a few weeks prior, relocating from the rooms that were intended for royal children to the apartments designated for the heir to the throne and their consort.  The bedrooms were mostly identical—each had painted ceilings, marble floors, and a small private balcony—but heir’s was gold while the consort’s was silver.  Nico had elected to take the silver room instead, deciding that gold suited Will better.

“I know they’re not as large as your rooms in Diana, but I think you’ll like them anyway,” Nico had said while giving Will a tour of their apartments a few weeks before.  “You’ll have a view of the palace grounds, a personal study with a private library—”

“—and my new husband will be just a few doors away,” Will had said.  “I couldn’t be happier.”  Then he’d kissed Nico, and Nico’s thoughts had wandered to imagine some of the benefits that sharing quarters with his new husband might entail.  He could be alone with Will, hold Will, kiss Will in private, strip Will’s clothes off and lick every inch of his skin—

Nico forced himself to stop fantasizing and attempted to cleanse his mind.  Jules-Albert had already changed him into his nightshirt and dressing gown and the last thing Nico needed was for everyone to notice his body becoming aroused through his thin clothes.  The bedding ceremony was mortifying enough as it was.

Fortunately, Nico was far too nervous and uncomfortable for any such embarrassing autonomic reactions to take place.  Nico didn’t like having guests in his bedroom to begin with, especially not while he was in such an unclothed state, yet the entire Plutonian court was there to witness Nico’s discomfort.  The bedding ceremony was an ancient tradition to ensure that the marriage would be consummated, but Nico thought it seemed more like an invasion of privacy than a political necessity.

Nico glanced at the others again.  Hades was quietly talking to his advisers.  Reyna had been watching him, but politely turned away when Nico looked at her.  Only Persephone held his eye.  She tilted her head toward the crystal cabinet and winked.

Nico flushed.  He hadn’t forgotten about Persephone’s gift.  He didn’t know whether he would use it that evening, but a glass of wine sounded like a welcome antidote for his agitation.

Will finally arrived a moment later, escorted by his father and stepmother, his older siblings, and his aunt.  Will smiled at Nico, but quickly averted his eyes.  He wore a white silk dressing gown covered in colorful floral embroidery.  Nico’s attention drifted to the sash around Will’s waist, imagining himself untying it after everyone left.  He would rip off Will’s dressing gown, toss it aside, and then he’d—

Nico’s cheeks burned and he turned his gaze downwards, once again grateful that he still felt far too uncomfortable for his physical arousal to become embarrassingly apparent.

Artemis stood at the foot of the bed to perform the blessings.  Much of what she said was only a repeat of the vows from earlier that day—prayers to Gaea for gifts, to Aeon for a long-lasting bond, to the Morai for good fortune, and to Rhea for faithfulness—but there were also prayers to the Erotes, asking them to bless Nico and Will’s physical union.  Nico stared at his slippers to avoid eye contact with everyone as the prayers became increasingly embarrassing.  When Nico did muster the courage to glance at Will, Will’s face was bright red while his oldest brother whispered something in his ear.  Will’s eyes drifted to Nico, then he quickly looked away again.

Artemis asked them to come forward and directed their parents to pull back the bed covers.  Nico and Will climbed in to lie side-by-side—Nico on the right, Will on the left—and the blankets were pulled back over them.  Artemis stopped to squeeze Will’s shoulder before the heavy silver curtains around the bed were drawn.  Nico heard the footsteps of everyone leaving the room.  Someone extinguished the lamp, the door shut, and Nico and Will were left in complete darkness.

When the footsteps faded way, the room became quiet and the air felt stiff.  Nico could faintly hear the distant roar of the crowd outside, but it was otherwise so silent that when he swallowed, the noise seemed to echo through the room.  Could Will hear the way his heart was pounding?  Was Nico breathing too heavily?

Will said nothing.  Neither of them dared to move.  Nico didn’t know how long they lay in silence before he finally gathered the courage to speak.

“That was uncomfortable, wasn’t it?” he whispered.

“Yes,” Will croaked.

They fell silent again.

“Do you—” Will started.

“Are you—” Nico began.

They both halted.

“My apologies,” Will said.  “You were saying?”

“No, you speak first,” Nico replied.

“It was nothing.  I was just thinking that it’s awfully dark.”

“Oh,” said Nico.  “Then I’ll turn the lamp back on.”

Will started to speak, but stopped when Nico pulled back the curtain and left the bed to walk blindly to the oil lamp on the crystal cabinet.  He felt around for the lighter, clicked it, and transferred the flame to the oil lamp.  When the light flooded the room, Nico glanced into the crystal cabinet and found the bottle of wine Persephone had promised hiding in the back.  He would have to thank Persephone later.  The wedding night was proving to be far more uncomfortable than Nico had predicted and alcohol had never seemed more appealing.

Nico was still trying to decide how to ask Will if he wanted a drink when the fireworks started.  The crowd outside roared even more loudly.  He supposed that more guests must have started to gather outside to watch.

Nico heard the bed creak, followed by the soft pad of Will’s slippers on the floor.  Will stopped behind Nico and touched his shoulder gently and carefully, like he was afraid of scaring Nico away.  “Would you like to see the fireworks?” he asked.

“Of course,” Nico said, turning back around to face him.  “You can watch them from the balcony, if you’d like.  I’ll join you in a moment.”

Will looked confused, but didn’t question him.  He crossed the room and glanced back at Nico once before walking outside.

Nico quickly opened the door to the crystal cabinet and retrieved the wine and glasses.  How would he offer it to Will?  Would Will think that Nico was trying to get him intoxicated?  Nico admittedly thought it would be nice to drown out his nerves, but he had no intentions of drinking more than a glass or two.  He had promised Persephone that he would remain sober.

Nico decided to pour them each half a glass to start, and then followed Will outside.

Will was leaning against the balustrade, staring up at the sky.  The red glow of a firework lit the side of his face and gleamed against his silk dressing gown.  Will looked over his shoulder as Nico walked out and his eyes settled on the glasses in Nico’s hands.

“I was given this wine as a gift,” Nico stammered.  “I thought we might drink it together, if you’d like.  But we don’t have to if you’d rather not.”

Will looked back up to meet Nico’s eyes, smiled, and said, “I’d like some.”

Nico’s hands shook when he handed Will the glass.  He was grateful that Will didn’t comment.  He just smiled and took a sip as Nico stepped next to him to watch the fireworks.

The balcony was behind a corner on a side of the palace that made it difficult for the crowds to see them, but it still offered a beautiful view of the palace grounds and the fireworks lighting up the night sky.  The crowd was loud and the fireworks were louder, but Nico could still feel the weight of the silence between him and Will.  He hoped the wine would do something to settle the anxiety twisting in his stomach.

“It has a nice, earthy flavor,” Will suddenly commented.  “Who gave it to you?”

“My mother,” Nico said.  “It’s my favorite.”

They were quiet.  Nico took a long drink from his glass.

“Is Asterion with Reyna?” Will asked.

“Yes,” Nico answered.

Again, they were quiet.  Nico glanced at the side of Will’s face to watch the red light of the fireworks dance over his cheeks.  He tried to take another sip of wine, but realized he’d already downed the entire glass.

“It’s a bit cold,” Will said.

“I suppose so,” Nico replied.

It wasn’t cold.  Nico didn’t think so, anyway.  Perhaps it had been a subtle ploy to lure Nico into sharing his body heat.

Nico stepped a bit closer to test his theory, but noticed Will’s teeth chattering.  Not a ploy, then.  Will really was that overly sensitive to cool weather.

Before Nico could feel too disappointed, Will’s knuckles brushed against his.  Nico’s little finger hooked around Will’s, and then Will held his hand.

“It is a bit cold,” Nico said, even though it wasn’t.  “Perhaps we should go back inside where it’s warmer.”

Nico squeezed Will’s hand and brought him back into his bedroom, but he didn’t know what to say or how to move forward.  Why was it that his attraction to Will was overwhelming at the most inconvenient times, but he didn’t know what to do when he finally was allowed to act on it?  He blamed the bedding ceremony.  If it hadn’t been for that ridiculous ritual making him feel so uncomfortable, Nico surely would have gotten Will out of his clothes by then.  The entire point of the bedding ceremony was to ensure the marriage would be consummated, but in Nico’s opinion, it had only made consummation unnecessarily difficult.

“Would you like more wine?” Nico asked.

Will took Nico’s glass instead.  “I’ll serve.  Why don’t you have a seat?”  He nodded toward the bed.

Nico was glad that Will turned away, because his face was already burning at the mere thought of getting back in bed with Will.  Did Will intend to start the process already, or was Nico reading too far into things?  Where should he even sit?  If he climbed into the bed and sat on the far side, would he seem too presumptuous?  Should should he sit on the edge instead?

He was still debating when Will appeared behind him again.  “What’s wrong?” Will asked.

“Nothing,” Nico answered, quickly perching on the edge of the bed.

Will looked unconvinced, but handed Nico his glass and sat down beside him.  “I was thinking that we could just talk for awhile,” Will said.

Nico was a bit disappointed, but mostly relieved.  He wasn’t certain if he was ready to proceed yet.  “What did you want to talk about?” he asked.

“I don’t know.  Anything you’d like.”

Will paused.  Nico didn’t know what to say.

Eventually, Will cleared his throat and said, “Well, I, for one, am glad that today is over.  I was miserable until I finally met with you this afternoon.  My bathing ceremony was a disaster.”

Thank the gods that Will had thought of something before the silence became awkward again.  “Mine was terrible, too,” Nico said. “What happened at yours?”

“Family discourse,” Will said.  “Lee and Michael nearly started a fight, but they managed to overcome their differences in favor of teasing me.  The whole family has been on edge lately...probably because they’ve been forced to be around Octavian so much.”

“Is Octavian really that bad?”

“Gods, he’s impossible.”  Will sighed before taking a deep drink from his wine glass.  “He actually stormed out of my bathing ceremony after a small family argument.  I confess that I’m glad he did.  The whole thing would have been worse if he’d stayed.”

Nico laughed.  Will usually avoided talking about his cousin, but the few stories he’d told had given Nico enough information to know that Octavian was not a likable person.  “When will I have the pleasure of meeting your cousin?” he asked.

Will’s lip curled.  “Never, hopefully.”

“I think it’s strange that your family has been in the palace for a month and I have rarely even seen him.”

“‘Strange?’” Will repeated.  “‘Fortunate’ would be a better word.  My family has been monitoring Octavian to ensure that he has minimal contact with your family.  I even had Lady Reyna order your guards to consider Octavian a threat to your security.”

Nico snorted.  “I’m sure,” he said.

“But Octavian isn’t the only reason my family has been so emotional lately,” Will said.  “My father has been especially distressed.  He misses Hyacinthus, he’s losing a child to marriage, and to make matters worse, Kayla told me earlier today that she is considering joining the Sorority.”

“Why would that make things worse?  Shouldn’t he be proud?”

“Under normal circumstances, yes, but I predict that he won’t handle that information well.  He’s already bitter that my aunt Artemis steals me away for half the year and he won’t be pleased if he discovers that she has corrupted another one of his children.”

“Corrupted?  The Matestra?”

“My father has a peculiar way of viewing the world,” Will said.  “But that is another conversation entirely.  Tell me, why was your bathing ceremony so unpleasant?”

Nico sighed and prepared himself with another gulp of wine.  “My father was...well.  Himself.  Prince Jason was annoying, as usual, and Prince Percy does not know how to keep his clothes on.  He obviously doesn’t understand Plutonian bathing ceremonies.”

Will looked amused, but asked, “Are Neptunian and Plutonian bathing ceremonies so different?”

“Haven’t I told you about Prince Percy’s bathing ceremony?” Nico asked.

Will shook his head.

“Well, it was terrible,” Nico said.  “Mostly I was referring to the...um...social nature of Neptunian baths.  At Prince Percy’s bathing ceremony, both he and Prince Jason were naked in the pool.  The whole thing was quite confusing and distressing.  It got worse when I watched you race just after I escaped.  I was even more confused and distressed to see my fiancé without a waistcoat, especially when I couldn’t stop thinking about naked men.”

Will laughed and Nico felt the blood rush to his face in embarrassment when he realized what he’d just admitted.  Oh, yes—that was why he’d never told Will what had happened at Percy’s bathing ceremony.  “I think I’ve had enough wine for one evening,” Nico announced, but he’d hardly even half finished the glass.  He always talked too much when he was nervous, which was part of the reason it had taken him so long to get engaged.  “I didn’t mean to say something so offensive.”

“I’m not offended,” Will said as Nico reached over him to set down his glass on the bedside table.  “Tell me, Your Highness, if seeing me without a waistcoat bothered you so much, how do you feel about seeing me in my dressing gown?”

“Will.”

Will laughed softly and set his glass aside, too.  “I shouldn’t tease,” he said.  “I know it’s difficult for you to talk about such things.”

“I’ve been trying to do better,” Nico said.  Hestia and Persephone had advised Nico to be more open with Will about his feelings.  They told him that it would ultimately be better for their relationship if he felt more comfortable being honest with Will.

Will smiled as he stroked his fingers through Nico’s hair.  “So have I.  I am learning to understand how you express your feelings—your physical gestures, the way you look at me, and the subtleties in the words you chose—but I also know that you have been working hard for me.  I can see a massive change in your language when I reread your letters.”

“I’m glad.  Sometimes I worry that....”  Nico stopped abruptly as Will’s words sunk in.  “Wait a moment.  You reread my letters?”

Will’s eyes drifted away.  “It’s silly, isn’t it?”

“No.  No, it’s not.  I do, too.  I keep your letters and I reread them when I miss you.  Actually, I have them all right here.”

Nico slipped off the bed and rummaged underneath until he found the box he kept hidden there.  He pulled it out, stood back up, opened the latch and presented it to Will.

Will hesitated before he accepted the box.  He ran his fingers over the paper silently as Nico took a seat beside him.  “You kept all of them?” he asked.

“Yes,” Nico replied.  “Every single one.  I liked reading them.”

Will rifled through the letters.  At the sight of one, he suddenly stopped and pulled it out.  “I wrote this?”

Nico leaned on Will’s shoulder to read the opening words: My dearest prince.  “Don’t you remember?” Nico asked.

“I don’t recall being so bold.  I was so afraid of offending you.”

“That changed after I visited the Expo.  Before that, you were always formal and polite, but afterwards, your letters began to read more like love letters.”

“And did you like that?” Will asked.

“Gods above, yes.  Suddenly, the person I was falling in love with had started to woo me.  I sometimes imagined your voice saying these things to me out loud.”

“But can you imagine how Hedge would react if he overheard me call you ‘my dearest prince’?” Will laughed.  “He’d be furious.”

“I don’t particularly care what Hedge would think.  I would like it.”  He scooted closer and added, “Although I’d prefer to hear you call me your ‘dear husband.’”

“My dear husband,” Will repeated, brushing his hand through Nico’s hair.  “I like the way that sounds.”

Nico leaned into Will’s hand and hummed in agreement.  “So do I,” he said.  “And I have been thinking—now that we’re husbands, there’s no need for you to address me as ‘Your Highness’ anymore.  Not in private.”

The easy smile on Will’s face flickered.  “That’s...you’re asking me to...?”

Nico took Will’s hand and kissed his knuckles.  “I’d like you to use my given name.  In this room and when we are alone, I’d like you to call me ‘Nico.’”

Will looked shocked.  He remained silent for a moment, but then he wet his lips and said, “Nico.”

Nico smiled.  “I think I like that best.”

“Then that’s what I’ll call you,” Will said.  “My dear Nico.  I think I like that best, too.”

Nico kissed Will’s knuckles again, then spread Will’s fingers open and kissed his palm, then the inside of his wrist.  Will leaned forward to steal Nico’s lips.  They kissed a few times before Will broke away and whispered, “I can’t believe you kept all my letters.”

“Your letters are treasures to me,” Nico said.  “Have I ever told you that it was through your letters that I began to fall in love with you?  Before I knew what was happening, I was already completely infatuated.”

“I think it was the same for me,” Will said.  “I admired you as a child, but my feelings were...juvenile.  It’s different now.  There were moments when I read your letters that I had to stop and think, ‘This is real.  The Prince of Pluto wrote this to me personally.’  You sent me your thoughts and feelings and I grew to know you as a person, rather than as an idol.  Now I love you more deeply...and perhaps a bit more selfishly, too.”

“Selfishly?” Nico asked, intrigued by the implications of what that might mean.  “How’s that?”

“I want to be with you constantly,” Will said.  His fingers stroked Nico’s hair.  “I want to be closer—to know more about you, to be part of your life, to use your given name.  I want to touch you like this.  I want to kiss you.  I want to lie beside you and hold you while we sleep.  So as you might imagine, I am very, very happy right now.”  He shifted closer.  “And Nico?”

Nico had severely underestimated how much he would like hearing Will use his given name.  He couldn’t manage more than a garbled noise that sounded like, “Hn?”

“I would like to kiss you now.  Would you like that, too?”

“Please.”

Will leaned forward, pressed his forehead against Nico’s, and Nico held his breath until Will closed the gap between them.  The kiss was soft, yet deep and passionate in a way that made Nico feel like his bones were liquid.  They parted, then Will kissed him again, then Nico kissed Will, and soon it became clear that it wouldn’t end with just kisses.

It was happening.  How many times had Nico played out this scenario in his mind?  How many times had he imagined his wedding night or woken up covered in sweat after a heated dream?  He had eagerly awaited his wedding night for so long, but suddenly it all seemed to be happening too quickly.

Nico understood consummation only in theory.  He had received instruction on how it worked mechanically, but he still felt utterly unprepared.  How did one go about initiating it?  How would Nico be able to deal with the embarrassment?  Would he even be able to meet Will’s eyes?  What would they say to each other?  Were they supposed to talk during, or should they remain silent?

Nico thought he saw a spark of nervousness in Will’s eyes.  He might have imagined it, but perhaps Will was having the same thoughts as Nico.  He took a deep breath, placed his hands on Will’s shoulders, and straddled his lap.

“Is this alright?” Nico asked.

Will nodded.  “Yes.”

Nico cleared his throat.  “I think that we should continue kissing now.”

“Kissing seems like a good point to start from.”

“And then, when we’re ready....”

“Yes.  When we’re ready.”

They kissed again, but it felt too distant.  Nico slipped his arms behind Will’s neck and Will wrapped his arms around Nico’s waist.  When Nico held Will more tightly and deepened the kiss, Will responded in kind, but something was still missing.  Nico craved something else—something less static.

“May I....”  Nico’s hand hovered over Will’s arm.  He mimed touching Will.

Will nodded.  “And may I?”

“Yes,” Nico answered.

Their lips met again.  Nico ran his hand down Will’s sleeve, he combed through Will’s hair, and his fingers curiously wandered to touch Will’s side.  Will’s hands slid up Nico’s arms and his back, dragging thin fabric over Nico’s skin.  The sound of their kisses was only interrupted by the occasional whispered question.  “Do you like this?” they would ask.  “May I touch here?”

This was what Nico had been craving—active, dynamic touch.  Will’s hands were on his sides, his back, his waist.  They were touching him, stroking him, driving him mad.  Will’s hand had scarcely touched his waist, but it still sent shivers through Nico’s body.  How could every single touch make him react so strongly?  Finally, Nico reached for the sash on Will’s dressing gown and struggled to untie it with shaking, fumbling hands.  He was mesmerized by the way Will rolled his shoulders to shrug it off when Nico finally managed to get it open.

“Mine, too,” Nico said.  He grabbed Will’s wrist and pulled his hand to the knot on the front of his own clothes.

Will untied the sash and Nico’s dressing gown fell to the floor.  He kissed the corner of Nico’s mouth, then his jaw, and then his lips trailed towards Nico’s neck.  Nico gasped when Will’s lips grazed beneath his ear.  Without thinking, he pushed Will away, slamming his shoulders into the bed beneath them.  “Sorry,” Nico said, quickly releasing him.

Will didn’t move.  He stared up at Nico, laying on top of the blue silk that lined the inside of his dressing gown.  His eyes were large and black, his lips dark and wet.  Nico could see freckles dotting the skin exposed by the wide collar of his nightshirt.  How many times had Nico wondered whether the freckles on Will’s face and arms extended to his chest?

Will reached up and wrapped his arms around Nico’s neck.  “I don’t mind,” he whispered, pulling Nico closer.

Nico had always expected that Will would be meek on their wedding night, but he’d been wrong.  Will wasn’t merely allowing it.  He was reciprocating, even initiating, and it drove Nico mad to think that Will wanted this, wanted him....

And then Will was on top of him, bending over him, kissing him, and Nico felt dwarfed and powerless.  He’d imagined Will in that position more than he cared to admit, but he’d never expected that fantasy to become reality.  And yet there was Will—gentle, soft, kind Will—poised dominantly over Nico, yet still somehow docile and yielding when Nico pushed up into his kiss.  Will opened up to him and accepted him, and it made him seem just as vulnerable as Nico felt.

Nico rubbed his palms up and down Will’s thighs like he’d yearned to for months.  He couldn’t stop himself from exploring, grasping Will’s legs and testing how they felt in his hands.  Will didn’t ask him to stop or give any indication of discomfort, not even when Nico’s exploration led his hands higher on Will’s body, under his nightshirt—

Will bowed his head and let Nico pull his nightshirt off his body.  Nico tossed it aside, letting it land somewhere on the floor beside the bed.  When Will started to pull up Nico’s, Nico quickly scrambled to sit up and help Will remove it.

Nico had barely gotten the chance to admire Will when Will kissed him again and whispered, “How do you want to do this?”

Nico’s face burned.  He’d received instruction on what to do in both roles, and both appealed to him.  He wanted everything.  He wanted all of Will’s body, he wanted to be inside Will, he wanted Will to be inside him, and he didn’t know what he wanted most or which to do first.  He wanted to do odd, shameless things like rub himself against Will’s thigh until he climaxed.  He wanted to have his hands full of Will’s hair or Will’s skin.  He had spend night after night imagining all sorts of things he wanted to do with Will in bed, but he was too embarrassed to say any of that out loud.

“I don’t know,” he finally answered.

“Then...would you like me to show you how I like it?”

Nico’s body flared with heat.  “Gods, yes,” he said.  The idea of Will showing him what he liked was unbelievably erotic, beyond even his most obscene fantasies.  Suddenly, Nico was buzzing, throbbing, burning, just because of Will’s words.

Will had never seemed more captivating to Nico.  He’d been attracted to Will for a long time, but Will’s sensuality had always been passive; Nico had projected an aura of allure on Will, perceiving a seductive magnetism even when Will’s intentions were clearly pure.  That night, however, Will radiated passion.  He took Nico’s hand and showed Nico how to touch him, and just when Nico assumed that Will meant to play the penetrating role, Will touched Nico the same way.

Something within Nico, some carefully restrained emotion, suddenly broke free and flooded his body, rushed down his limbs until it filled even his fingers and toes.  Nico found himself babbling uncontrollably, blurting out that Will was perfect and gorgeous.  Embarrassing declarations of love slipped through his lips—words that he’d been too nervous or too proud to use before.  Was it the wine still loosening his tongue?  No, it couldn’t be.  Nico had never been so bold when he’d had wine before.  Nico had never felt quite so weightless, so delirious, so vulnerable, and he certainly had never welcomed those feelings the way he did right then.

But Will—Will.  It was like he was hanging on Nico’s every word.  He looked at Nico with such adoration and awe.  He answered every one of Nico’s praises and declarations of love with his own.

Nico didn’t understand what was happening.  He was confused.  This was not going according to the instructions he had received, they were not touching each other the way he had been told to, and it was so much more passionate, so much deeper and more intense than he had ever been led to expect.  He had been told that it might feel pleasing, but ‘pleasure’ couldn’t describe the flooding of Nico’s senses.  He felt like the heavens had opened up to him.  It was like he was completely connected to Will—he was in Will and Will was in him, their souls wrapped together in such a tight embrace that Nico doubted they’d return to their bodies without taking a piece of the other with them.

Nico didn’t understand what was happening.  But Nico didn’t care.  Nico wanted it to never stop; he wanted to be that close to Will forever, to remain in that bed with his skin touching Will’s and their hearts melded together, floundering in the tide of love that threatened to consume them.

What was Will feeling?  Was this as intense and pleasing for him as it was for Nico?  Did Nico’s hand even come close to driving him as wild as Will’s drove Nico?  Did Nico look even half as beautiful to Will’s eyes as Will did to his?

It was that image that sent him over the edge.  He hadn’t expected it to happen so suddenly or so quickly, and he felt instantly mortified.  They hadn’t consummated the marriage, they hadn’t reached for the lubricant, and they hadn’t even decided who would be in which role, but Nico had already been overwhelmed.  “Oh gods,” Nico whispered. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Why are you apologizing?” Will asked.  “I wanted you to.”

And then Will kissed Nico and asked for permission to continue.  Nico granted it, then Will touched him, Nico touched him back, and it was somehow still amazingly good until Will finished, too.  Nico fell back in the bed beside Will when it was over, holding his hand and catching his breath.

Nico turned to look at Will.  Will turned, too.  Something bubbled up inside Nico’s chest until suddenly he was laughing, and so was Will.  Nico still wasn’t certain what had just happened, but he knew that he’d liked it.  He could worry about consummating the marriage later.  For a few moments, he was content to do nothing but kiss and laugh and exchange a few affectionate nonsense words with his new husband.

Just when Nico was starting to feel sleepy, Will kissed his forehead and said, “Shall we clean ourselves off?”

Nico grabbed Will’s arm to keep him from getting up.  “Already?”

“I suppose it can wait, but I’d prefer not to make more of a mess than we already have.”

Nico frowned.  “Aren’t we going to do that anyway?”

Will laughed.  “Are you not finished yet?”

Nico paused and tried to figure out what Will meant.  “Will,” he said slowly.  “We still have to consummate the marriage.”

Will’s brow wrinkled.  “We just...” he started, then his face broke into a grin.  “Did you want to do it again?”

“I...yes?” Nico answered.  Did Will think that what they’d done before was enough to consummate the marriage?  Did Will not understand how consummation worked?  Regardless, doing it again sounded nice.

“You’re certainly eager,” said Will, crawling over to kiss Nico.

Nico was still confused, but when his lips parted against Will’s in a deep, heated kiss, the only thing that seemed important was that Will was naked in his bed.  He was melting under Will’s soft mouth, consumed by the faint taste of sesame cakes, honey, and wine lingering on Will’s tongue.  Nico’s body felt powerless, but he didn’t mind—he wanted to be overpowered by Will’s intoxicating touch and to lose himself in their passionate embrace.

Nico didn’t hear Asterion at first.  He was displeased when Will suddenly pulled away and looked at the door, but once the blood stopped pounding in his ears, he heard the faint sound of claws against wood.

“Asterion,” Nico mumbled, groggily rolling out from underneath Will to get out of the bed.  He found his dressing gown on the floor and threw it over himself on the way to the door.  As soon as Nico turned the handle, Asterion happily pushed his way inside.

“He usually stays with me at night,” Nico explained as Asterion trotted past him to greet Will.  “It’ll be a bit cramped, but if you don’t mind...?”

“Of course not,” Will said.  Asterion nudged his hand to signal that he was ready for petting.  “Our darling son is always welcome to stay.”

Nico nearly melted watching Will coo over Asterion, and decided to forget about consummation for the time being.  They would have plenty of time to worry about it later.  He doubted that they would be able to accomplish anything with Asterion in the room, anyway.

He and Will cleaned themselves off at the washbasin and changed back into their nightshirts before climbing into bed with Asterion.  Will took the left side and Asterion managed to use half the bed on his own, so Nico found himself wedged between them in the center.  Fortunately, it offered a pleasant excuse for him and Will to fumble their way around figuring out how to hold each other while they slept.  They ended up facing each other, their legs tangled together while Will rested his head on Nico’s arm.  

“I don’t have to leave tonight,” Will whispered.

“We can stay together until morning,” Nico said.  “And we can stay together tomorrow night, and the night after that.”

Will hummed when Nico pecked his lips.  “I’ve been waiting for this a long time.  Being able to stay together alone, uninterrupted...just you, me, and Asterion.”

Nico tried to stifle his laughter in Will’s hair, but Will pulled back to kiss him.  Then they kissed again, and again, until Nico started to lose himself in the memories of what it had been like to touch Will, to be touched by Will, and to hear Will say, ‘Would you like me to show you how I like it?’

What had Will meant by that?  Nico had assumed that Will had been referring to which role he wanted to take in the consummation, but evidently he’d been wrong.  Will had instead given Nico specific instructions on how to use his hands.  How would Will have known what felt good unless...?

Nico broke away from the kiss.  “May I ask something?”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“‘Nico.’  Call me Nico.”

Will’s lips slid into a small, blissful smile.  “Nico,” he murmured happily.  “It may take some time before I get used to that.  What did you want to ask?”

“I’ve been thinking about what you said before, about how you like it...did you mean with hands?  By yourself?”

Will looked at Nico curiously.  “Haven’t you?” he asked.

Nico blushed and shook his head.  “No.”

“But you must have felt aroused at some point,” Will said.  “I know you did.  How did you take care of it?”

“Take care of it...?” Nico repeated.  “I didn’t.”  He paused, then admitted, “Well, sometimes I’d...against my bed.”

“Oh,” Will said.  “I see.  Well, it’s easier if you use your hands, I think.”

“Doesn’t it...uh....”  Nico hesitated, realizing that his question would probably make him sound horribly ignorant.  Will looked at him patiently until Nico cleared his throat and whispered, “Won’t it make you go blind?”

Will chuckled a bit, but Nico was relieved when he didn’t outright laugh at him or tease him.  “Of course not.  It doesn’t cause hair to grow on your hands, either.”

That had been Nico’s next question, but he didn’t admit it.  “And clearly it doesn’t cause...uh...impotency?”

“Why would it cause impotency?”

Nico cleared his throat.  “You might...run out,” he explained.

Will looked puzzled.  “Run out of what?”

“Of...well.  If you...um...expel fluids every time, eventually you won’t have any left.”

Will stared at Nico in silence.  Nico grimaced.  “I just said something very foolish, didn’t I?”

Will was quiet for another second before answering.  “It doesn’t cause impotency,” he assured.

“Right,” Nico whispered, slowly trying to digest the information.  “I was told that touching oneself was shameful.”

“Shameful?” Will repeated.  “It is a healthy response to typical bodily functioning.  Why is it shameful?”

“I...do not know.”

“Do you think it’s shameful?”

Nico wasn’t sure.  He’d never questioned it before, but now he wondered.  Why had he believed it was shameful to begin with?  Logically speaking, it didn’t seem to make sense.  If it didn’t blind him, cause hair to grow on his hands, or make him impotent, then what exactly was the harm?  Besides, Will had done it.

“If it is shameful, I do not care,” Nico decided.  Bitterly, he realized that he could have given into his excitement without feeling ashamed every time that he’d fantasized about Will.  If he could have made himself feel even half as wonderful as he had that evening, it seemed foolish not to have indulged himself all along.

Nico’s eyes widened as another thought occurred to him.  If Will had indulged in touching himself, then didn’t that mean that Will had fantasized, as well?

“Will?”

“Yes?”

“Did you think about me?”

“When?”

“When you...used your hands.”

“Oh.”  Will paused thoughtfully.  “It wasn’t like that.  For me, it’s...physical.  Somatic.  That’s all.  It’s a sign that my body is healthy, or a normal expression of health, or a normal result of health, or...I don’t know.  I’m aware that most people think differently.”

“So you didn’t think about me that way?” Nico asked, struck by a sudden pang of insecurity and loneliness.  He’d started to hope that he and Will had endured the same consuming want.  If Will felt that way, then Nico’s feelings weren’t shameful at all.  But if Will didn’t....

“Nico,” Will said softly.  “I love you.  You know that, don’t you?”

Nico couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lips.  “I know.”

“Touching myself is about feeling good physically.  This—” Will gestured between them, “—is something else entirely.  It just didn’t occur to me to connect my body and my love for you.”

Nico noted Will’s use of the past tense.  “Do you still feel that way?”

“Yes...and no,” said Will.  “When I realized that you wanted to be intimate with me, I started to want it, too, because I knew it would make you happy.  But later, it began to appeal to me in other ways.  I started to crave being close to you and touching you.  I was looking forward to tonight.  I think that the way I feel about it is still somehow different, but I don’t believe that’s a problem.”

“And did you like it?”

“Being intimate with you?  Of course I did.  I liked it very much and I would like to do it again.”

“So then, if I were to say that I did think about you that way....”

“I know you did.”

Nico’s face burned and he almost argued defensively, but when he saw the way Will was smiling at him kindly, it completely disarmed him.  “That doesn’t bother you?” Nico asked.

“Not at all.  It’s perfectly normal.”

“And not shameful?”

“Not shameful.”

“Good,” Nico said.  “Because I thought about you a lot.  You have no idea how desperately I’ve been waiting for tonight.”

“You weren’t alone,” Will assured.  “I wanted to marry you so badly.  In fact, the only thing I wasn’t looking forward to about our marriage was the prospect of facing Plutonian winters.  You know how I hate the cold.”

“Then come to my bed and I’ll help you stay warm.”

Will laughed.  “I was hoping you’d say that.  But I think I might come to you in the spring and summer, too, if it means we can lie together like this.”

“Well, I was planning to do a little bit more than lie together.”

“Like what?” Will asked.  Nico wasn’t sure if Will was teasing or if he really didn’t understand what Nico had in mind.

“Firstly, I’d get rid of your clothes,” Nico said.

Will laughed when Nico’s hands slipped under his nightshirt.  Nico pushed him back against the bed and climbed on top of him.  Will’s arms wrapped around Nico’s shoulders and pulled him close.  “Haven’t you had enough yet?” Will asked teasingly.

“I’ll never have enough,” Nico answered.  He tried to wrestle Will out of his nightshirt, but Will’s body suddenly went stiff.

“Wait, stop,” Will said.  “I can’t do this with Asterion watching.”

Nico had nearly forgotten that they weren’t alone.  He looked over his shoulder to find Asterion lying with his head between his paws, watching them curiously.  His tail started to thud against the bed when he noticed both Will and Nico paying attention to him.

Nico was torn between laughing at Will for being ridiculous and agreeing with him, but either way, Asterion’s presence made bedding his new husband impossible.  Ultimately, even Nico’s desire for Will wasn’t strong enough to give him the heart to kick Asterion out, so he just sighed and helped Will fix his nightshirt.  “I promised him that he could still share my bed after I married you.”

“Just when I thought we’d be free of chaperones,” Will mumbled, but he didn’t look upset.  He reached across the bed to pat Asterion’s head, and then Nico snuggled between them again.  With Asterion’s heat at his back and Will’s against his front, Nico felt more at peace than he had been in a very long time.

Next

For your love prompts, 007 with Hades and Persephone? 😊❤️ Thank you!

Oh thank the gods. Bless you for actually giving me a prompt. This was written while I’m on medication so I apologize for any errors. 007: “I’m cold. Come closer.”

It had been six months already. Six months since Hades did the one impulsive thing in his life. Six months of Persephone living in the Underworld. And six months of her refusing to even acknowledge him.

He didn’t blame her. He couldn’t at all. He had given punishments to mortals who tried to do the same with women they took as their wives. Hades tried to reason he was better than they. Not once did he try to force her company, not once did he try to kiss her, nor did he try to consummate their marriage.That would be dictated on her terms.

He slumped on his throne with a heavy sigh. Things had been going so well. They would talk with each other for hours before all of this happened. She would lie among the flowers, casually chatting with them until one day, he heard her. Her words carried down into the earth transmitted with the roots of the plants she grew. Roots hung down from the ceiling of the Underworld as spindly chandeliers. “I wish I could be on Olympus with my sisters,” she had told a particularly old looking rose bush. Her fingertips brushed a bud, still green and hard, not ready to bloom. Her touch rectified that and it blossomed into a lovely white rose.“And why is that?” The petals spoke back. Kore started and drew back, her eyes searching everywhere to see if an unfriendly satyr was spying on her. She hastily scrambled to her feet, on alert. “I don’t mean to pry,” said the bloom in a deep male voice, “but you did tell me.” Kore glared at the flower in distrust. “Where are you? I can’t find you. I’ll have you known I’m an Olympian myself, not some little Leimoniad or Dryad!” She was suddenly authoritative. Deep in the ground, Hades smiled softly. “I didn’t assume,” he replied quietly. He paused for a moment, wondering how to proceed. His name was not often spoken in polite society, and was avoided at all costs. Even various epithets were used lightly, hoping to avoid his attention. “I mean you no harm,” he said in the gentlest way he could, “I’m not with you. I am… below the earth.”“Oh…” Kore eased herself back down onto the soft grass. Something in his voice was so sincere, so earnest, she believe she was at no risk. “You heard me talking to the flowers?” Panic began to creep in her voice. She often spoke to the flowers about a lot of things she didn’t want to speak to other people about. True, she had a very open relationship with her mother, but everyone had to keep secrets now and then. Saying them aloud helped her prioritize and solve her problems. It provided her a better head space.That didn’t mean she wanted this newfound voice to know all about them.“Difficult not to, when you do it so frequently and interrupt my work.” He gave a slight chuckle at this, to signify it was good natured and he wasn’t angry with her. “However,” Hades reached up and delicately touched the root, “you never answered my question.”“Because… well… Because everyone else is up there. I used to go up when I was younger, sit on Mother’s lap on her throne with all the other Olympians, but now that I’m grown, she’s more irritated up there. Not that I blame her!”Hades gave her a deep belly laugh. “I don’t blame her at all.” Kore smiled as the rose bounced with the reverberations. She was quiet for a moment before she continued, “I miss my sisters, not so much my brothers. Hermes is fun, he always makes me laugh.”“Hmm,” Hades moved a parchment in front of him while they continued the conversation, looking over the influx of shades for the given month. He had varying opinions on the impish God. “-but Apollo! He’s so annoying.” Kore thrust her arms up toward the sky, not that her companion could see, “he’s always dropping in, trying to sing some stupid songs to me while I’m working, shining too much sun or not enough on my flowers and then! Then acting like he didn’t know and -!” Kore let out a growl of frustration.“I concur with those sentiments, I assure you,” Hades told her plainly. She smiled at his response. “At least I can tell you… Mother wants me to play nice.” Silence settled on them, but it wasn’t unwanted. A honeybee passed by and Kore watched its swirling trail. “What’s your name?” She asked the rose softly. “…besides rose, of course.”

“Is that what I am? Well…” Hades knew it had come to this. The moment where their pleasant conversation would come to an abrupt end. “I am known by many names,” he said carefully.“Me too!” Kore exclaimed excitedly, “Mother always calls me Kore as a nickname, but my real name is Persephone. There are others who call me Despoina and Proserpina, but I think I prefer Persephone above all else.”Hades sighed with relief and started to list all his various names on his fingers. “Some call me Aidoneus, Polydectes, Eubulus, Dis, Dis Pater, Plu-”

“Hades,” she said quietly.

He stopped, his countenance already downtrodden as he anticipated her rejection. “Yes.”

“You should have said that in the beginning! Anyway-”

They continued like that for many months. He in his study and her in her meadow, talking endlessly about the events of their days. Their shared enjoyment of their conversations filled a void Hades didn’t realize he held and neither did she. He hadn’t realized Eros had pierced his heart so deeply until he went above to retrieve a boon some hero tried to steal when Hades saw her. He was cloaked with his helm of invisibility and all was lost to him except Persephone. And now she resented him. He loved her so deeply, he knew he deserved it. She had avoided him at all costs, and it was apparently a simple task to perform, given the vastness of his realm. His servants informed him that she stayed mostly in her room, refusing to go out into the Underworld.He didn’t blame her.

After the shock of being stolen away without a goodbye to Demeter, without being asked, she was furious with Hades.

“You expect me to marry you when you haven’t even asked me?!” She had bellowed at him, enough to shake the spirits. He stood dumbfounded and helpless as he saw her slipping away from him. “I trusted you and you couldn’t trust me! If you can’t talk to me, then I won’t speak to you. At all.”

Her words were thunderously final. He never relented, sending her notes and gifts of varying degrees of beauty. He did not know if she enjoyed them or even acknowledged their existence. Jewels, necklaces, rings, adornments of all kinds, tapestries, clothes, instruments, flowers, books, anything and everything he tried to give her to appease her, but silence was his reward.

Every evening he knocked on her door and tried to speak with her, but every evening he was turned away or nothingness met his ear. And Hades accepted his punishment. Today was different. 

She was perched on the steps of the palace, overlooking the kingdom. Hades approached her cautiously, as though she was a deer about to be frightened away at the slightest movement.She sighed deeply, aware of his presence, but made no gesture to move. He sat beside her, several feet away and gazed at the scenery himself. Several long, uncomfortable minutes ticked between them.

“Persephone, I know I’ve said it countless times but please, please believe me when I say I’m sorry.” Hades looked at his feet, ashamed of himself and his actions. 

She was silent and still.

Stubbornness was an Olympian trait that could be admired. He nodded to himself, affirming he would try again tomorrow as he stood when at last, she spoke. “I’m cold… Come closer?”She looked up at him, with sad pleading eyes, unsure how to proceed forward. Her request was clumsy but sincere, her arms hugging herself tightly. Hades released the breath he unknowingly was holding and sat beside Persephone. She inched closer, until their thighs touched, and she rested her head against his chest. Cautiously, he wrapped his arms around her. 

“Is this all right?” He murmured into her unruly hair, smelling her sweet perfume. 

She nodded and gripped at him fiercely. “I forgive you. I’ve missed you,” she confessed, holding back tears.  “Shhh, shh, shhh,” he cooed at her, petting her arm tenderly. “I’m right here. I’ll always be right here.”

She lifted her head to look up at him directly, her green eyes large and pleading. Her head tilted closer, searching his own to see what he would do next. He was slow and passive, not trying to rush his good fortune. Hades cupped her cheek and gazed softly at her. 

“May I kiss you?” His voice was low and gentle. Her nod was slight only because her lips were already on their way to meet his own. 

His beard was rough against her chin but the kiss was sweet like ambrosia. It was innocent as far as kisses were concerned, but held so many more promises. 

“Still cold?”“Mmm hmmm.” Persephone rested her head back on his chest and they just held each other as they looked over their kingdom.  

Solangelo Cinderella AU

I have too much free time. Now sit on down, I've got a story to tell. Once upon a time, in the Kingdom of Hades, there lived a young boy named Will Solace. He lived with his mother and father in a lovely little cottage. Will Solace was said to be the most fairest of the land, and wherever he went, the sun was always shining down on him, like he was an angel. He was one of the most handsome boys of the land, and was kind to everyone. Then, one tragic day, his mother was ran over by a wagon. She was severely injured, and even Will and his father's healing skills couldn't save her (they were both doctors). In despair, and in a very dramatic way, Will's father threw himself off a cliff, leaving little Will all alone. Will was put into foster care, and he was stuck living with a terrible woman named Hera, and her two children named Luisa and Lilly. Hera didn't like Will much, because she felt that Will was far too kind and beautiful, while her daughters weren't as much. She treated Will badly, by almost starving him, not giving him great clothes, and giving him difficult chores while the other kids were out playing. Will tried to make the best out of the situation. As the years passed, Will discovered he had a great talent for singing. He sang while he did the laundry. He sang while he washed the floors. He sang while he fed the family cat (which Will loved playing with). This made Hera more jealous. Her daughters took music lessons every Thursday, and Will hadn't had one lesson yet he was far better singers than them. Hera then forbade Will to sing. Will of course didn't stop, because it had become a habit of his. But he was very careful to not get caught. One day, while his sisters had music lessons, Will happened to be singing and washing the floors in the other room. The music teacher heard and said to Hera that Will was a wonderful singer and should study at a music school. Hera quickly lied and said that Will's singing was just the record player. Hera then scolded Will afterwards, and then as a punishment, killed the cat that Will liked because she knew Will loved to play with it. Will sobbed in his room while his sisters yelled at him to shut up and wash their clothes. The cat was Will's only friend, and he felt terrible because it was his fault it had been killed. Days and years passed. Will was twenty now, and wanted to leave Hera and her daughters. But he couldn't because he had no money, and all the possessions he had was the ragged clothes he was wearing. Meanwhile, at the castle, a young prince named Nico and his two sisters stood in the throne room, discussing a matter with their father, the king. "But I don't want to marry!" Nico shouted to King Hades. "I'd rather stay single!" "You are to rule my kingdom when I'm gone with a queen by your side and that is why we are going to have a ball!" He shouted back. "I don't want to get married either!" Nico's sister, Bianca exclaimed. "All of my children will get married!" Lord Hades said. "Jeez, you guys are all giving me a headache! We're having a ball and that's final!" "I personally think a ball wouldn't be so bad." Hazel, the youngest and the shyest of the three said. "I mean, we get to meet new people!" "Exactly." Hades said. "I know you two," he pointed to Bianca and Nico, "don't like chatting with people much, and neither do I, but sometimes you got to do some things you don't like." Nico huffed angrily and stormed out of the room. Hades' dark eyes burned with anger, but he let him go. "I want you two young ladies to find a man during the ball, otherwise I'll find one for you!" Hades shouted and left. "I don't need no man." Bianca said angrily under her breath and then left. Hazel rolled her eyes and walked back to her room. And so a letter was sent out to every house in the kingdom. It read that there would be a ball held so that prince Nico di Angelo and princesses Hazel and Bianca would be choosing who they would be marrying at the ball. Will of course wanted to go, not because he wanted to marry a prince or princess, but because he wanted to get out of the house and meet new people. Sadly, Hera would not allow Will to come. She knew that it was likely for one of the princesses were bound to fall in love with Will's good looks. She told Will to clean the entire house and then he could go to the ball. But Hera's two daughters trashed the house completely and by the time the ball was going to start, the house wasn't even half way clean. Hera and her daughters wore ugly peacock colored dresses and said goodbye to Will. Will sat there in defeat. He was certain that in no way he would be able to finish cleaning and still have time to go to the ball. Suddenly, there was a poof and a girl appeared. She wore a tank-top and shorts, and had color changing eyes, and choppy brown hair, with braids in it. She smiled down on Will. "W-who are you?" Will asked. "Piper McLean." She smiled brightly. "I'm your fairy godmother." There was another poof and another person appeared. He was wearing a purple t-shirt and jeans. He was tall with blonde hair and electric blue eyes. "And I'm Jason." The boy said. "Your fairy godfather. Let operation Solangelo commence!" "What is that?" Will asked, quite confused about all of this. "Nothing!" Piper said quickly. "Now, you need a makeover if your going to be going to that ball." She smiled. "I'm gonna go to the ball?" Will said, excited. "Yup!" Jason said. "We'll even clean the house for you, now...Piper do your magic." Piper studied Will. "I'll be able to do a temporary makeover. It should last a couple of hours, at least till midnight." She snapped her fingers and Will's ragged clothing transformed into a beautiful yellow medieval dress coat and light brown pants. His blonde curly hair became clean and combed, and his blue eyes seemed to sparkle. On his feet were the most wonderful shoes ever. They were shiny and black, and extremely comfortable. They didn't really look like boy's shoes, but not necessarily girl's shoes either. "Oh thank you!" Will exclaimed and hugged Piper. "But how am I supposed to get there?" "Leave that to me." Jason smiled. "I can control the winds to take you there, and fast. If you need to get home," Jason pulled out a blue amulet, "hold this and say you want to go home. But you can only use it once." "Okay." Will said and put the amulet in his pocket. "I just want to say, thank you for all of this. I don't even know you that well and you are being so kind." "You deserve to have some fun." Piper replied sweetly. "You deserve to have some experience in kissing." Jason smirked. "Go out there and have fun tonight, and you better make Solangelo happen." "Um...okay." Will said shyly. He and Jason then stepped outside. "I'll make the winds take you to the ball." Jason said. "Oh, and invite me to the wedding." He winked. Before Will could ask anymore questions, the winds whisked him away to the castle. Jason then snapped his fingers and a boy with elfish features and curly black hair appeared. In his hand was a muffin that he was eating. "Jason!" He shouted angrily. "I was enjoying something!" He waved the muffin in Jason's face. "Yeah sorry Leo, but we need your help cleaning this house." Jason said. Leo sighed and then stuffed the rest of the muffin in his mouth. "Why?" "Mission Solangelo has begun. Will is heading to the ball now." Leo sighed and pulled cleaning supplies out from his magic tool belt. "Is this what you and Piper do in your free time?" And the two boys headed inside. ~~~ Meanwhile, at the ball, young ladies and gentlemen arrived in hopes of the princesses or prince would want to marry them. Hades sat on his throne beside the queen, Persephone. Hazel wore beautiful golden slippers and a purple dress. Her curly hair was tied back in a ponytail and she had a golden tiara on her head. Right away, she had attracted a few gentlemen, but she had been especially interested in a Chinese Canadian man who looked gentle yet strong. They were dancing rather awkwardly, since the man was a bit clumsy, but they couldn't take their eyes off of each other. Bianca wore an emerald green tiara and a black dress that went to her knees. She scared ever boy off who tried to dance with her by giving them a death stare. She was chatting happily with a young woman though, who wore a silver tiara and dress. She was the queen of the hunt, Artemis, and was offering Bianca a chance to never marry and join her hunt group. Nico was having the worse time. He wore a simple silver crown and a black jacket and pants, and the girls were chasing him. They shouted, "Marry me prince Nico!" As they chased him. Nico was running for his life, trying to get away from the fan girls. Will finally showed up at the ball, and when he walked in, all eyes were on him. He didn't look like a poor young man who worked hard everyday, but like a wonderful Prince Charming. Will smiled at everyone, and Hera's daughters glared. They couldn't quite recognize Will, but he seemed strangely familiar. Hera, meanwhile, was chatting with King Hades. Will got some refreshments and chatted with some nearby people. Will hummed a tune as he watched the other people dance. This was the best night ever! "Psst." Will heard someone say from the shadows. He turned around to see a boy with pale skin and black hair. He was hiding in the shadows, and since his clothing was black, it was sort of hard to see him. "The fan girls are coming." The boy told Will. "If they ask where I am, tell them I'm not here." Will nodded. Soon enough, the fan girls came. "Hey, have you seen Prince Nico?" One of the girls asked. "Uh, he went that away." Will said awkwardly. He didn't know the boy who was hiding in the shadows was the prince. "Thanks!" Some of the girls said. One of the girls blew a kiss to Will. Will stood there awkwardly. Maybe they thought Will looked nice. "The coast is clear." Will finally whispered to Prince Nico. "Thanks." Nico said and stepped out of the shadows. Nico's crown was lopsided. Suddenly, Nico was staring at Will. "Oh no, he's hot." Nico thought. "Oh no, he's adorable." Will thought. Both of them were blushing. Will turned to walk away. "Um, see you around, and uh, nice party." Will said quickly. Nico then grabbed Will's arm to keep him from walking away. "Uh, I just wanted to ask..." Nico said nervously. "Would you like to dance? I mean I understand if you don't want to, you're probably not gay..." "It's fine." Will smiled. "I'm gay too." Nico smiled brightly. Nico took Will to a room next to the ballroom, but they could still hear the music and not get found by the fan girls. Will hummed as they danced and Nico couldn't have been happier. Maybe the ball wasn't too bad after all. "Hey, I never caught your name." Nico said. "Surely I must know who you are, so we can, you know meet again some time soon." Nico blushed. Will smiled. "I'd love to meet up with you soon too. My name is W—" But at that moment, the clock was striking midnight. The clock bells echoed in Will's ears. Midnight was when the spell was going to wear off. "I-I'm sorry, I've got to go!" Will said. Surely Nico wouldn't like Will anymore if he saw Will in his ragged clothing. "Wait!" Nico shouted, but Will ran. He pulled the amulet out of his pocket. He needed to get outside before the clock struck twelve times. As he got to the palace steps, he tripped and fell. One of Will's beautiful black shoes fell off. Will could see Several people looking his way, along with a sad Nico, who had come to see where Will was going. Will stood up and kept running, he heard the clock strike eleven times and he shouted with his amulet in hand, "Take me home!" The winds whisked him away, as the party guests and Prince Nico stood there. Nico walked down the steps and picked up Will's shoe. Nico sighed. He had thought he had met someone special tonight. Someone who might have actually liked him. But alas, his love was whisked away by the wind. ~~~ Will arrived home. His clothes had already changed back to his ragged clothing. For some reason, his other nice shoe didn't. When he got inside the house, no one was there, but the house was sparkling clean. There were even some upgrades, like a chandelier and a new couch. On the table was a note and a box of donuts. "Hey, sorry that you didn't get to stay longer at the ball." The note read. "Piper needs to work on her makeover magic more. But don't worry! We'll sort it all out! Signed, Piper, Jason and Leo, your fairy godmother and godfathers. P.S. In the meantime, enjoy your donuts!" Will couldn't help smiling. He went to the attic (where he slept) and ate some donuts. Then he hid the donut box and his special shoe under his bed, and then went to sleep. All he could dream about was the adorable Prince Nico though. Meanwhile, at the castle, after everyone had gone home, Nico presented the shoe that fell off of Will's foot. "I met this man at the ball." Nico said. "He had to leave, but he left his shoe." Hades sat there, annoyed. Only one of his children had managed to find someone good enough to marry. Hazel would be marrying a young prince who had traveled from far to come to the ball, a man named Frank Zhang. "A man?" Hades asked. "That shoe looks like a girl's shoe!" "It seems like a boy's shoe to me." Bianca shrugged. "You be quiet!" Hades shouted at Bianca. He was angry because Bianca had made a deal with Artemis. After Hazel's wedding, Bianca would go and join the huntresses, turning her back on all men. She couldn't break the deal now that she had made it, otherwise she would die. Bianca felt very smug about this, for her father couldn't go against the ancient laws. "It was a boy, I swear!" Nico said. "What was his name then?" Hades shot back. "I—" Nico shook his head sadly. "I don't know. He left before I could ask." "There you have it." Hades said looking pleased. "Since you haven't managed to find your own wife, I will choose for you then. Perhaps princess Reyna of the kingdom of New Rome?" "But—" Nico started, but then he came up with an idea. "Whoever this shoe fits," he said determined, holding up the shoe, "is who I will marry." Hades thought for a moment. "Fine. But we better find them by tomorrow." And so the kingdom was informed that whoever the shoe fit would marry Prince Nico. Every lady was excited, though Nico said that even boys should be allowed to try on the shoe. Jason, of course, didn't want anyone to get in the way of his ship. He put a spell on the shoe, to make sure it would fit only Will. Hera ordered Will to make sure everything was polished and clean so the Prince would be impressed when he came with the shoe. Hera's daughters were excited, and got on their best dresses. When Prince Nico arrived, Will was sent to the attic. Will, decided that he was going to storm down there and tell the prince it was he who danced with him, even if he was wearing different clothing. But Hera soon realized this when Will took out his other shoe. Hera then tied Will up in his room and took away Will's shoe. Will tried to scream, but Hera gagged him too. Hera's daughters weren't having luck with the shoe. It was either too big or too small. Nico was about to leave, quite disappointed. He didn't need a shoe to find who danced with him, but that seemed to be the only option. Hera then took out Will's shoe. "Oh, but your highness, it was one of them who danced with you! Here is the other shoe!" Nico narrowed his eyes. "Do you think I am stupid! I remember what my true love looked like! He definitely wasn't one of your daughters. But since you have the shoe..." Nico took out his black sword, "You must have my lover. Where is he?" "Right here." Will said as he walked down the steps, Hera stood there with her mouth hanging open. Standing next to Will was Jason, Piper (who was holding scissors) and Leo (who wore sunglasses and was sipping from a soda can with a straw). "Prince Nico di Angelo of the kingdom of Hades, I present to you Will Solace, the man who danced with you at the ball." Piper announced. "Hera tied him up in the attic so he couldn't try on the shoe." Jason said. "And we freed Will because we are his fairy godparents." Leo said as he sipped from his soda. "Blah blah blah, happy ending, marriage, and babies blah." Leo took another sip of soda. "Okay then." Nico said. "Guards, throw Mistress Hera into the dungeons to rot, and put her daughters there too unless they want to join the maids and work in the palace." The guards seized Hera and then her daughters. Will and Nico stared at each other. "You do actually look like the one I danced with." Nico remarked. "Just without the fancy clothing." "We gave him a makeover." Piper said. "He wanted to go, so we gave him nice clothing and everything." "The clothing would turn back to normal at midnight." Will looked at the ground. "I thought if I wasn't in nice clothing, you wouldn't like me." Nico blinked. "Of course I would still like you! You're still beautiful either way." Will smiled. Then Nico insisted that Will put on the shoes, just to prove it. Will sat down and Nico put the shoes on Will's feet. Of course they fit perfectly. Hades didn't seem to care that his son was gay. He just told Nico that he wished he would have came out sooner. The wedding was marvelous, Nico married Will while Hazel married Frank and Bianca got to stay single forever. Jason, Piper and a little bit of Leo, cheered the loudest at the wedding. After all, their OTP had just become canon.