[ graphic: @recklessrebellion- / me ]

a jar of secrets
13 | you think he took me?

I'm in an abandoned park, it's summer time and there's a fresh breeze in the air and birds chirping around me.

I know this park.

Sure enough I find a young girl sitting down on one of the empty swings, blonde piggy tails and a flower clip in her hair. The young girl has her hands up to her face, trying to hide her tears as two guys walk towards her from behind.

"Young girls like you shouldn't be crying," the darker one says speaking first to the younger girl.

"And beautiful girls like you also shouldn't be in a park alone," the blond adds coming to sit on the swing beside the girl.

"I don't know where I am..." the girl answers with tears in her eyes. "My mummy left me... she got really angry with me but-"

"But what sweetie?" the darker one asks urging her on.

"I can't remember her name, or even my name..." the young girl starts crying again as the guys look over at one another before nodding.

"Well my names Pat, and this is Ash," Pat tells her with a smile as Ash waves. "We'll help you."

"And in the meantime how about we call you Seph?" suggests Ash helping the girl off the swing.

"I like that name," the girl tells them with a small smile of her own.

"Well Seph, imagine us like we're your big older brothers," Pat tells her with a smile of his own.

"So you're like my new family?" the girl asks wide eyed, looking up at them both with hope shining in her little blue eyes.

"Yes princess, and we'll protect you no matter what."

I continue to watch as the young girl holds onto each one of the boys hands, smiling as she tells them all about her favourite flowers and colours on their way home.

I feel someone give my hand a sudden tight squeeze, reminding me that whoever it is, is here with me.

That's when I remember what happened at McDonalds, and the sharp pain running along my leg tells me it had certainly not been a dream. I jolt up from my position and a hand shoots out to stop me from going past that.

"It's okay. You're okay Seph."

It feels like forever since I've heard that name. I open my eyes to look across into a pair of dark brown ones, watching me worriedly.

"Patrick?" My voice comes out raspy and I realise how dry and sore my throat is. "Water?"

Patrick must hear me as he gets out of the chair that has been set up close beside the single bed I'm in, walking over to fetch a glass off the dresser before returning.

"You had us all worried there pumpkin," Patrick tells me, running his hand through his dark curls. "We thought we had lost you..."

After taking a few sips from the glass, I sit it down on the side table before taking a glance around the small room I'm in.

At first glance, I know that I'm not in a hospital. For starters, the walls are painted a rich brown contrasting between the cream carpeted floors and I notice an expensive looking painting hanging on the wall. Not to mention there's also a flatscreen tv hanging on the wall opposite me, yeah I don't think they'd have those in a patients room.

I suddenly remember Hades pushing me out of the way before whatever had caused the damage earlier, and how I couldn't find him.

"Where is Hades? Is he here? Please tell me he's okay?" I gush out panicked. I try to throw the covers and blankets off of me and I say try because Pat puts his hand out to stop me again.

"Hades is fine although I don't know for how much longer..." he trails off, a harden look to him.

"What do you mean 'for how much longer'?" I cry turning to look at him.

Patrick sighs before answering me.

"When we got you here and made sure your injuries weren't life threatening, Ash took him out into the hall for a friendly chat..."

I don't like the way his face turns up at the word friendly. I find it odd though that it's Ash who is doing the talking, usually Patrick is the one who does the talking and is rather sensible whereas Ash is the funny guy who snuck cookies to me when Pat wasn't looking.

"Why do I get the feeling friendly is code for something else..." I mumble under my breath shooting a glare at him, he ignores it.

"When did you get all serious and knowing?" he quips not missing a beat.

Since three guys broke into our house, I got kidnapped, seen some crazy shit, met some even crazier people and oh nearly died today.

I shrug instead.

"How did you guys track me down anyways?"

As far as I knew, both guys worked as business men in town although every time I tried to ask for information they would tell me that it doesn't matter.

"We got in contact with a few friends when you disappeared, we've been searching for you ever since. Thought we'd never find you either, when we heard that about the McDonalds take down we weren't far away as we had been meeting a friend down this way."

Oh my god, the house!! The dead guy in the kitchen.

"Dead guy in the kitchen!?" I blurt out before I could help myself and I groan.

Pat frowns as he looks over at me, taking my good hand in his.

"There was no dead guy in the kitchen Seph. Now come on, you must rest and regain your strength."

No dead guy? Wait didn't Hades say that he'll clean the mess up.. but he was with me the whole time, how did he get rid of the body?

"I'm so glad you're okay Seph, Ash too. We'll sort this issue out with Hades and get you straight back home as soon as we can, I promise you that."

Back home to Misty Hallows and my friends. I can't help the smile that appears on my face at the very thought of it but than I think of a life with no Hades, no Hermes and that makes me feel miserable.

"Just don't let Ash hurt him Patrick..." I find myself saying instead of arguing with him about this. He slowly gets up off the chair.

"Why do you care what happens to him, he kidnapped you!" he reminds me frowning even more as he stares down at me.

"He's saved me a few times too Pat, he's not a bad guy," I say standing up for him. Well it is true, he's saved my life a number of times the last couple days. I watch as Patrick makes his way across the room, stopping just before the door he turns to face me again with a blank look.

"He also kidnapped you in the middle of the night," he tells me angrily. "He might not be a total bad guy Seph but he certainly isn't the mister knight in shining armour you think he is either," and with that he closes the door shut firmly behind him.

❦

The next time I wake, it's dark outside. Someone must have came in earlier while I was asleep and closed the curtains which is a shame because I loved looking up at the stars, although they've left the bed side lamp on for me.

"Ducky! You're finally awake."

I jump out of my skin only to find Hermes sitting in the same seat Patrick had occupied earlier today.

"Don't scare me like that Jesus..." I hiss bringing my good hand to rest upon my chest. "I swear you always appear out of nowhere."

Hermes mumbles something under his breath that I miss but he looks over at me and smiles his goofy smile.

"So how does it feel to be stubbed by glass and nearly on deaths doorstep on the same day?" I glare at him as I give him the finger, he laughs.

"How did you sneak past the bodyguards anyway?" I ask knowing full on that Ash and Pat wouldn't have let him in unless there was a good enough reason to.

"The same way that Hades knew where to find you, just as Achilles knew how to kill the dude before he touched you."

"Achilles?"

What is with all the weird sounding names? Couldn't it just be Ach or Ash...

My eyes widen at that.

"Achilles is Ash?" I yell out covering my mouth with my hand in shock at the realisation.

Hermes nods his head, looking pleased with my new knowledge.

"And Pat is Patroclus, although he doesn't mind being called just Pat," he adds. "Kinda like how you prefer Seph over Persephone actually."

"And these other names are what exactly..." I sigh trying to think of the right word. "Code names?"

Hermes laughs at this, even going as far as wiping a few stray tears from his eyes before nodding his head.

"Yes I suppose they are."

"And your code name is?..."

Hermes shakes his head at this.

"I'm just Hermes, I don't often come down here so I don't get a cool code name," he explains looking a little sad at this.

"What about Hades and Apollo, oh and his twin?"

What if everyone here has two names?

"Hades is Hades, just as Artemis is Artemis... Apollo however comes down here quite often with Dionysus and myself, we get into a lot of mischief," he answers smirking at the memories.

"Okay..." I trail off trying to take this all in. "So you guys have two names?" He nods. "But why? Normal people don't, well I mean unless you count their middle names then-"

"Hold it there missy, let yourself breathe first," Hermes tells me amused.

I take a few deep breaths in and out, relaxing my sore muscles in my hand before nodding for him to continue.

"Firstly, we're not normal people... we're-"

And then someone knocks on the door startling the both of us.

Hermes stands up on high alert for a couple of seconds before giving me a smile and telling me to close my eyes.

Confused, I do as he says for a few more seconds and reopen them only to find Hermes gone.

I stare at the door but I hadn't heard it open or close, and the window is still shut. Where'd he go?

"Persephone, it's me..."

Hades.

"You can come in," I call out to him softly.

I watch as the door slowly opens just a little to show his handsome face and his golden brown- no wait, his black eye?!

"Who gave you that?" I cry as soon as I see it. 

Hades sighs before edging closer inside the room, closing the door behind him.

"Ac... Ash."

"Achilles, yeah I know the whole code names thing." I shrug as his dark eyes lift up to look across at me, frowning in confusion.

"Hermes must have told you then I gather," I nod my head.

"That looks terrible!" I sigh looking at the already bruising eye, it looks awfully painful.

"I kinda deserved it sweetheart," he gives me one of those rare half smiles before taking the seat beside the bed.

"No you didn't." I tell him using my good hand to reach out and gently touch the area around the bruising. I know he's in a pain but still he doesn't flinch away at my touch.

"I kidnapped you remember? Please tell me you haven't hit your head or something," he stares at me looking slightly worried.

"I remember, you idiot." I playfully punch him in the shoulder which makes him smile again. "But I also remember the times you've saved me."

"Maybe," he mumbles distracted. "But that doesn't mean I'm entirely the good guy Persephone, sometimes there's more to just good or bad. Sometimes you don't get to choose who you want to be, it's already been mapped out for you for centuries."

I watch as Hades rests his head with a long sigh on the top of my blankets, beside my good hand. I glance down at him and instantly feel sorry for the guy, in this moment he looks so much older than twenty-seven.

"You always have a choice Hades." I tell him picking my hand up and resting it on top of his head. He doesn't complain nor does he comment so as I grow tired, I start to hum a song under my breath as I run my fingers through his hair.