[ graphic: @sufferingIy]

a jar of secrets
17 | greece here we come

"Ahh I miss the taste of ice cream!" Hermes mumbles around his spoonful of mint-chocolate chip.

"Don't you have some-" I glance across at the girl who's scooping mine into a bowl opposite us. "Where you're from?" I finish with a hint of a smile.

"Nah that's why I sneak down here a lot," Hermes tells me as he pokes his tongue out.

"No, you sneak down with Apollo and Dionysus a lot because you three like to cause mischief and party," Hades adds picking up on the conversation.

"Hmm yeah you're right, but ice cream is really good too."

I roll my eyes at him but laugh as I take my ice cream, watching as Hades goes to pay for the lot.

"Aren't you having anything?" I ask noticing that he isn't holding a cone, cup or bowl.

"I'm not really a sweets person," he admits with a shrug, handing the money over.

"We're going to have to change that you know," I tell him as Hermes finds us a seat outside the ice cream parlour.

"Oh yeah," he raises an eyebrow at me and smirks. "And whys that?"

"Because-"

"She's a small core of pure evil wrapped up in sweetness, gold and puppies," Hermes shrugs digging into his ice cream.

I blink before laughing as I scoop out a little section of my own ice cream onto my spoon.

Hades is chuckling as well as he watches us.

"Try it." I say holding out my spoon to him.

"It doesn't work, I tried that when we first came here and-"

"Do I have to?" Hades asks over top of Hermes. I nod my head.

"It's just a really tiny bit," I add looking down at the baby sized portion I've got on the spoon.

"Fine," he sighs taking the spoon and sticking it in his mouth.

"Yes!" I cry making Hades turn to frown at me. "You owe me ten bucks," I add turning to face a defeated Hermes who sighs but hands the cash over to me.

"You two had a bet... that'd I'd try the ice cream?" Hades looks confused as he looks between the two of us before sighing. "I don't understand you youngsters," but he's smiling as he passes the spoon back to me.

"You're not meant to, you're old as fuck!" Hermes shrugs ducking as his Uncle goes to punch him, playfully of course, well I hope.

"You're not that much younger Hermes," Hades reminds me.

"Yeah but at least I spend more time down here with the mortals so I can blend in more with the times," argues Hermes with a laugh.

"That's true, you didn't even know what a pinky promise was," I speak up remembering that moment.

"Not my fault. I don't hang out with children down here when I am down here," he shrugs as he watches people pass by us. "And the times I have been down here it's either for work or trying to find you," he adds looking over at me sadly.

"Well now you've found me," I tell him surprising myself as I place my hand above his on the table. I blush as he watches me and looks down at our hands, I quickly remove my hand to take a giant scoop of my ice cream, shoving it into my mouth.

It's then that I find myself watching three people not much older than me, two girls and one guy. The girls are picking on him as they walk pass the ice cream parlour, laughing as they talk about the latest gossip around town.

I miss Liv and Ethan. I wonder what they think about me disappearing so suddenly, and so close to the Masquerade Ball too.

"Persephone, what it is?" Hades asks breaking my concentration.

"I just miss my friends..." I take another spoonful of ice cream and put it in my mouth, severing the flavour.

"I'm sorry about that," Hades says looking down at the table. "I know you must miss them dearly."

"How about calling them from a burner phone, so it can't be traced?" suggests Hermes but I shake my head.

"No... It's probably better off this way."

Hermes nods his head in understanding, Hades stays quiet in thought.

"So where are we heading to exactly?" I ask changing the subject as I look out over the beach front view we've got.

"I don't know, we're just waiting for Hades brother to call him with some more information," Hermes explains to me just as Hades phone goes off.

"Speaking of the Fish." Hades gets up and walks a few feet away from us to a quiet area, answering the call.

"So are we still going to this safe house?" I ask Hermes confused.

"No..." he trails off as he finishes off his ice cream. "We're going home."

"And where's that exactly?" I ask trying to recall where home is. Obviously they weren't talking about Misty Hallows, I know that much.

"Mount Olympus and The Underworld."

Well when you say it like that, they sound pretty dang important.

"Wait..." I mumble looking across at him. "Why can't we just do what we did before, how you took us outside the building?"

"It's uh a lot more complicated than that and requires a lot of power to get up there with more than one mortal person... Unless you're one of The Three then it's no big deal," he explains shrugging. "Also it helps if you're already immortal, we can go up there anytime we wish but since you don't remember how to use your powers..."

"The Three?"

Hermes sighs as he gives me a stern look.

"Haven't you read anything in that book yet?" I shake my head.

"I only got it half an hour ago Hermes, give me some time will you," I laugh.

"Alright alright," he holds his hands up in surrender. "The Three are three brothers that took control of Olympus after their father lost the battle between the Titans and Olympians. Basically father bad, brothers good."

I nod my head.

"The youngest of the brothers controls the land and air, the second, the water and the third, The Underworld. The Three are basically like the top Gods, with the youngest being the King of the Gods and Hades is..."

"And Hades is what?" I ask intrigued with the story.

Hermes eyes widen as he looks at something behind me.

"I'm the eldest brother, the King of The Underworld."

❦

Hades is The King of The Underworld?!

I don't know what I was expecting to hear but it certainly wasn't that.

After the sudden revelation, Hades drove us straight to an airport which was also not what I was expecting.

Seeing a pattern here? Yeah so am I. Expect the unexpected, that should be my new motto especially with everything that's happened the last week or so.

"You okay? You've been staring daggers at the same piece of carpet the last twenty-five minutes."

I blink only to realise that I'm still sitting in one of the not so comfy chairs at the airport waiting area with Hermes.

"He isn't evil, is he?"

"Who? Hades?" Hermes ask laughing. "You tell me ducky."

I sigh and try to relax my sore limbs.

"No... Am I?"

Hermes laughs even harder at this making me a little annoyed.

"Of course not, you and Hades are quite opposite though," he admits with a secret smile that means something, although I don't know what. "You're The Goddess of Spring," he reassures me with another smile.

"Okay let me see if I've got this," I sigh sitting crossed legged on the chair opposite him. "Hades is the God of The Underworld, you're Hermes Messenger of the Gods and I'm Persephone Goddess of... Spring?"

Hermes claps his hand like a child and I glare at him.

"Okay... So what about Athena? Ares? Achilles? Patroclus and the others?"

"I really don't know why we got you that book," he sighs rolling his eyes. "But Achilles is a Demi-God, Patroclus human, uh Ares is God of War-"

I should've known that last one, wait? Patroclus is human?

"-Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love and Beauty. Apollo the God of Light and Music, his twin Artemis is the Goddess of the Hunt and Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom. Did I miss anyone?"

"Who is Dionysus? I know he's a friend of yours-"

"Oh Dion is the God of Wine, he's a real funny bloke when you meet him."

Well that makes a whole lot of sense with Apollo being drunk the other night.

"And you said Patroclus is... human?"

"Yes, not many mortals know about us but the ones that do must have done something good in our eyes to make them our friends. Patroclus was an interesting case... he was allowed to stay in Mount Olympus with his love, kind of like a second chance at life after he had died the first time in battle."

"Huh..." I mumble impressed. So maybe there is a chance for Liv and Ethan to be a part of my new life after all.

"Most mortals do not believe in us though and so they don't believe we're alive around them, blending into their world right under their noses."

Would my friends believe in it, in me? Or would they think I'm crazy just like I first thought Hermes and Hades were?

"Okay our flights are all booked and we're leaving in forty-five minutes," Hades announces claiming the seat beside me.

"Where did your brother suggest we go?" I ask turning around to face him.

"Greece."

"The Greece?" I repeat surprised. Ever since I could remember I'd been drawn to the Greece area, wanting to visit and see everything around there they had to offer. "Why?"

"Because that's where home is situationed above," Hermes answers me sharing a knowing smile with his Uncle.

Well that answers why I was drawn to it I guess.

"But isn't Mount Olympus..." I lift my hands above me, the guys getting the message.

"Yeah it's quite high," Hermes nods.

"So how are we going to get up there since Hermes can't get us up?" I ask frowning. "Oh wait, you can because you're part of The Three?" I remember turning to Hades again.

"No, I can't help this time," he mumbles looking away from me.

"Why can't you?" I ask confused, Hermes feels me in.

"So you don't have any of your powers because our great-great grandfather Chaos, who you say actually doesn't exist in human form, cursed us both?"

Hades nods his head tiredly. 

"That's..."

Crazy, weird, out of this world insane.

"Something," I finish.

"But my brother has an idea," Hades tells us looking up at us both. "Persephone is starting to get her-"

A mother and her kid walks pass and we all smile innocently as they go into the rest rooms.

"- powers back which means you'll hopefully be able to make a travel rose with the added power coming right down from Olympus into you, it should be enough to get us all home."

I gulp.

"No pressure, huh Hades!" I say bringing a hand to rest against my forehead, closing my eyes.

Could I really create a travel rose and get us home? It seems like such a crazy idea, especially because I'm not one of The Three and the fact that my powers are still coming back and I don't have a clue how to use them.

I feel someone touch my hand softly, before sliding their hand into mine and giving it a small squeeze.

"I believe you can do it Persephone," Hades tells me softly, looking down at our joined hands.

"Me two," Hermes adds on the other side.

I take a deep breath before smiling.

"Well what are we waiting for, Greece here we come."