Persephone strode through the halls that were dimly lit and empty to the point where even the slightest clink of her heels sounded terribly loud. But that didn't bother her as much as what Mono had just thrown at her, she was clouded by the thoughts of Kore. Persephone was instructed to pray to an entity that was manifested from devastating hatred and rage.

Persephone didn't realize when she reached Hades court, but strangely it was also empty. She looked around the massive chamber but no one was found. All the guards, witches and even the polite ghosts had vanished. The underworld was tranquil and as quiet as night is on Earth, but where was everyone she wondered.

Persephone strode to the gates and even Cerberus had not returned to his station, she quickly returned to her bedroom and found it vacant again. She was starting to get worried, when suddenly, the door creaked open behind her and Hades sauntered inside.

"Is everything alright?" She asked him hurriedly.

Hades frowned. "Of course," he answered. "Why, what's wrong?"

"Well, I passed by the court and no one was there," she said. "The halls are all empty and the ghosts aren't even around. Where is everyone? Why isn't anyone at their posts? And where's Cerberus?"

Hades chuckled. "Slow down," he tenderly rubbed her shoulders and eased her down on the couch next to him. "Everyone is probably busy with their duties."

"But they're missing from their usual spots," said Persephone.

Hades stammered. "They are attending to the north side of the realm."

"Everyone is on the north side," Persephone grew suspicious of Hades when he nodded. "You're a terrible liar," she remarked.

Hades scarlet eyes glimmered. "No, I'm a great liar," he rebuked. "I just can't lie to you."

Persephone grinned. "And you're such a flirt," she kissed his cheek.

Hades leaned back on the seat with that graceful confidence oozing out of him. "What did Mono tell you?"

"He told me about another goddess that went through something similar as me," she told him. "And that I have to pray to Kore if I want to meet her again."

Hades cut to the chase. "Will you?" He asked. "Pray to her, I mean."

"I'm not sure how I will do that," she gravely told him. "I'm completely ignorant of Kore. I have no idea what she is thinking or how she feels about me."

"I think that's a good thing," shared Hades.

Persephone gave him a perplexed look. "When was ignorance ever a good thing?"

"When you pray to Kore you won't know how she'll react," he explained. "You are going to her with no expectations what-so-ever, that'll prepare you to stay open-minded and observant. Which is what you want if you desire to understand Kore."

Persephone's body slumped against the seat and was engulfed with a warmth, she felt her mind quiet down and her heart eased. Hades reassured her whilst no one could even begin to understand what she was going through right now. Without him around her, she couldn't feel safer and more at home.

Hades had this way to close the entire world and lock them up in a completely different space full of peace and light.

"I really needed to hear that," she whispered.

Hades pushed a strand of her hair back and gazed deeply into her eyes. "You'll be fine," he assured her. "Besides if Kore gives you any trouble, I'm sure I can handle her."

Persephone chuckled. "How did you stop her?" She asked him curiously.

"Just like you always tell me, sweetheart," he said. "Nothing of you can hurt me."

Persephone's heart skipped a beat, she leaned over and kissed his lips softly. "Marry me?" She blurted out.

Hades laughed. "I already did," he responded.

Persephone didn't know what she was saying, but all she knew was that Hades was her centre and she could never let go his hand, and neither could Kore. "So, when will you tell me where everyone is?" she asked him suddenly.

Hades scarlet eyes widened. "I told you everyone is very busy with the tasks I've assigned them," he replied. "Now, don't ask anymore otherwise I'm going to have to tell you."

Persephone rolled her eyes. "Fine," she gave in. "Are you busy with anything?"

Hades grabbed her waist and positioned him on top of his lap. "Nope, I was assigned to keep you company whilst everyone else... Is occupied," he informed diligently.

"Oh, and how will you keep me busy?" she asked innocently.

Hades raised a brow at her tone. "It's not that hard," he whispered hotly. "I'm sure I can keep you occupied for a few hours." Hades leaned in towards her, he pushed her hair back and kissed down the length of her neck. Persephone lost her breath every time Hades touched her so possessively, his strong hands held her hips and his fingertips dug into her the fabric of her dress and skin. Hades nipped her earlobe and then he moved his mouth towards her lips.

Persephone pulled away. "Oh wait! What did my father say to you?" she asked suddenly.

Hades lifted his head off her shoulder. "Who?" he asked uncaringly.

"What did Zeus want to talk to you about?" she repeated her question for her distracted husband.

Hades sighed as he resigned from removing her clothes. "He just warned me of Demeter's wrath," he scoffed. "Which isn't even comparable to mine."

"Or mine," added Persephone. "My mother has no right to be mad at all, she has lost the respect of her daughter and any privilege to call herself a protector."

"I agree," said Hades. "But what will we do with her?"

"I'm not sure," she said. "But the next time we go to her, I'll be sure to give her a piece of my mind."

Hades returned to his previous more important task, his nimble fingers untied the braided strings that held her tight bodice in place, he loosened the stiff fabric and her gown became undone like her body answered to every single touch of his fiery hands. Hades abruptly lifted her off the couch, "Ready to stay distracted for the next hour," he dared devilishly. Persephone giggled as he closed their bedroom door behind them, and for the next hour like he had sworn, her mind didn't even attempt to wander anywhere other than Hades body against hers.

Persephone stretched her limbs like a feline, she rose from under the fumbled bedsheets as achingly sore as she could be. Her legs were sluggishly worn out and she felt like she had fought a hundred battles and blissfully lost every single time. She winced when her warm feet hit the cold floor and the soreness between her legs prevented her from moving another inch.

The door opened and Hades arrived looking refreshed and more handsome than ever. "You ready to go?" he asked.

"Ready to go," he baffled her. "What did you do to me? I can barely move my legs." Hades chuckled. "Don't laugh, it's not funny!"

Hades came around the bed and swept her off of her feet, he strode into the shower chamber. "Can you stand?" he asked before he let her down. She nodded shyly, she couldn't help but feel a great stir in her body whenever Hades became so reliable towards her. "A hot shower will help with the soreness," he said as he pushed the glass door to the side and let her bask alone under the steamy hot rain of the shower.

"This feels amazing," she moaned as the streams of hot water cascaded over her bare body. The heat relaxed her tense body and cured her soreness.

"Don't tempt me," smirked Hades.

"You should join me," she said honestly. "The water feels so good."

Hades leaned on the wall next to her. "I'll let you rest this time," he said and stayed beside her until she was done. A good few moments past, he wrapped a soft robe around her body and guided her back to their bedroom when she was done.

"What's the rush?" she asked him.

Hades kissed her cheek. "Quickly get dressed," he instructed. "I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" she asked befuddled.

"Just get dressed already," he urged. Hades closed the door behind him and let her have a moment of privacy. Persephone didn't know what the occasion was so she opted for the dark midnight-blue gown that had twinkling diamonds dusted all over the bodice and skirt like the sparkling stars shine at night.

"I'm coming in," warned Hades. "And you better be ready."

Persephone chuckled at his demanding tone. "I'm not done yet," she announced, but just as she slipped her feet into a pair of silver shoes, the door burst open and Hades arrived again.

"You look," he took a deep breath, "beautiful, no matter what you do."

Persephone grabbed the simple flowery pin and secured the top half of her hair and let the rest fall down her back. "I would've gotten dressed much better if you weren't in such a rush," she complained.

Hades grabbed her crown from the box in the closet and set it upon her head like he had on his own. "Come on," he said. "Everyone is waiting."

Persephone gaped at him. "What do you mean?" Hades didn't answer her, he just lead her towards a path that made her gut sink. He steered her towards the dead garden that still bruised her soul today, she couldn't smell the fragrance of the flowers or the plants anymore and it broke her heart bit by bit, but at least the tunnels didn't smell of ash like they had before.

They rounded the last corner and she looked away from the horrid sight that would befall her, she didn't have the courage to witness the disaster that had transpired of her precious garden.

"Open your eyes, Seph," whispered Hades.

"I can't," she choked back her tears.

"Yes, you can," insisted Hades.

Her ears perked at the distant voices in the cave, she was curious to see what had happened to everyone and why Hades was so persistent for her to see the garden. Persephone opened her eyes and the bright light showered over her, she moved on her own and stood right in front of the entrance. Persephone couldn't believe what she saw, the whole garden had been salvaged by everyone. The entire staff of the Underworld stood inside the cave with smiles but tired eyes because they had worked hard to preserve this sacred land for their queen.

"She's here!" a guard exclaimed. They all rounded the room and displayed the garden for her.

"What happened?" she asked. Persephone gaped at the open field that had no flowers or plants, but fresh soil had replaced the ash and dead leaves. The aqua stream had been cleaned and the stone walls were washed enough for them to shine like marble.

"I wanted to clean the garden for you," said Hades. "And everyone here agreed to help me like they had the last time. We planted fresh seeds for fruit and flowers, but there wasn't any time for them to bloom. So, I thought you could help us with that."

"Everyone cleaned the garden for me," mumbled Persephone.

"We sure did," a beastly looking guard appeared with Mono.

Mono's pale bony hand patted Persephone's shoulder. "We hope you like the surprise," he mumbled before his temper returned. "Get out of my way," he snapped at the beastly guard who looked terrifying, but when he got scared of Mono's temper, his domineering persona lightened in Persephone's eyes.

"So, will you help us with the garden?" asked Pain as she appeared with a dirty violet hood. "I'm sure you can do it in half the time all the witches can."

Persephone's lungs were filled with the pure goodness of soil and harvest spring, her body sizzled with the drive to bask her powers on this piece of land. She couldn't even begin to imagine how long it took everyone to clean the disaster from the cave and turn it into a new temple for her.

Persephone kneeled down and slipped her feet out of her shoes, and only then did she step foot in her garden; once again.

The moist soil under her feet felt heavenly, she pushed her feet into the cool soil and a jolt of life was felt from her body all the way towards the edge of the garden walls. The garden came to life the moment her foot laid flat on the land; it craved for her touch and to feed on her powers. The path that trailed behind her sprouted thick green grass, she found the single stone platform that hadn't changed a single bit and stood proudly on top of it. Persephone could feel her powers awakening and she didn't even need to think about what to do next. The garden around her latched onto her energy and came to life in front of everyone's eyes. Spring had returned to the Underworld.

-Hades POV-

Hades stood next to the three judges of the dead who had also joined this occasion for him and his wife. But Hades hadn't expected for anything this magnificent to take place, Seph pulled off her shoes and walked bare foot on the soil, instantly a trail of grass danced behind her with little yellow flowers sprouting with spirit. Hades was amazed by the sight in front of him, the old plain garden had transformed into a magical forest full of trees that bared fruit and flowers of every and any colour one could imagine. The soil had changed into a healthy meadow which almost tempted Hades to feel the soft grass under his own bare feet.

Rhadamanthys gaped at the sight. "Beautiful," he muttered.

"That was extraordinary," remarked Aeacus breathlessly.

"I couldn't agree more," agreed Minos.

Hades and the others rejoiced as the garden took birth once again. Hades instructed everyone to prepare for the Starlight feast in the garden, as he approached his wife who was still stood amongst the tall trees. When Hades met Seph for the first time, it was just like how it was now. Seph stood proudly in the garden with those glimmering eyes that beamed like the sun, her rosy lips were not smiling but they were not sad either, just content. The golden dust that danced around her was joyfully boasting about the garden's colours to the creator herself. A deep flutter filled Hades as he recalled those memories, and she was the same right now.

Hades admired her from afar, he didn't want to disturb that silent moment between her and the garden that seemed to be the cause of the light in her eyes at the moment. Hades sighed himself from relief that the grief on her face had washed away, she wouldn't feel regret or hatred anymore every time she thought about the garden. He had hoped that was the case when the entire staff of the Underworld came to him with the idea to clean the garden once again. Hades was so grateful that he had followers who took the initiative to help their queen through this rough time.

Hades strode back to gathered crowd who were diligently preparing for the feast at the long table to fit all of them. "Listen up, everyone!" he announced and got everyone's attention. "Since you all worked so hard, I decided to give you all a day off tomorrow." The entire crowd cheered. "And this feast is to thank you all for helping me. So, drink and eat to your heart's content."

Seph emerged from the trees and her solemn expression worried everyone. Her amber gold eyes lifted and gazed at them. They worried if they had done something wrong because Seph had just stared at them.

"I am so grateful to have you all as my family," she spoke. "This garden was a grave just a couple of weeks ago, but now it's a haven once again and I never expected that at all. I'm sorry that I worried all of you and worked you to the bone, but I couldn't be happier with this gift you have bestowed on me. Thank you for being my family."

"We should be thanking you," said Aeacus. "Who would have thought that our brooding king would get such a fiery goddess to be our queen."

They all laughed together.

"We all thought that he'd live alone forever," said Minos.

"Persephone's the only reason it smells like spring everywhere," said Pain. "Otherwise, our noses were dead from smelling ash and fire before you came." They all nodded in agreement from Pain's truthful words.

"I'm surprised that he even dared to approach Persephone," scoffed Mono. "Our king isn't as mischievous as everyone thinks."

Hades laughed from disbelief. "Thanks," he said sarcastically. "Now I know what all of you think of me. And just so you know, your queen was the one to seduce me first." No one believed him.

Persephone smirked. "It's true," she added. "I convinced Hades to kidnap me."

Their laughter grew and even the old sage chuckled under his hood. The feast beneath the glimmering starlight erupted into a celebratory party with music and songs from old folktales. Hades made sure that the smile on Seph's face was constant through the night, he didn't want her worried over things that are out of their control. She deserved a fun night with friends and family, and Hades made sure that nothing disturbed her tonight.

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone for all the love. My story has surpassed *13,000 reads* and I'm at *500 followers*. OMGG thank you everyone for all the love you've shown to me. Everyone has been so kind and amazing, I feel so blessed to have found such a wonderful family here. I love you all and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.