Always and Forever

Her laughter was as smooth as silk as she pranced through the forest with the nymphs. Her long tangled golden hair flying behind her. Her emerald eyes and sun-kissed peach skin shinning brighter than the sun with joy. The nymphs' beauty were nothing compared to her own.

The forest was lush and as green as her eyes. The animals in the forest heard her laughter, as they did every day, and bounded to her. For they trusted her as much as they did their protector, goddess of the hunt, Artemis.

Despite the roots and obstacles on the ground, she never tripped. She was as swift and graceful as a deer.

"Persephone!" called Demeter, goddess of the harvest. She was also Persephone's mother. "Yes mother?" asked Persephone. "What is it?"

"It's time for your daily lesson."

She cheered. Besides exploring in the forest, this was her favorite thing to do.

The flowers exploded from the ground wherever Persephone pointed. "Very good." Her mother cooed brushing back her wavy brown hair. Ever since Persephone reached the age of six, her mother has taught her how to make things grow with a flick of her wrist. "Now grow a pomegranate tree." Her mother challenged, brown eyes narrowing.

She sighed, "Mother, you know I've never been able to do that."

"Practice makes perfect." Demeter shrugged.

Persephone pointed her finger and glared at the ground with her emerald eyes, to the same spot she's been trying on for weeks, and directed all the energy to sprout a tree from the ground. Try as she may, she could never do it. "Keep trying," her mother whispered.

Persephone sighed after a few more moments. "It's hopeless mother. I'll never get it"

"You can and will," her mother insisted. "Just not today."

"May I go rest now?"

"You may."

Persephone sat on the cliff edge of the coast. The sound of the water crashing on the rocks always seemed to relax her after a long day. A gentle breeze ruffled her knee-length blue dress. Her hair glowed in the bright pink sunset.

She laid back and suddenly felt bored. "I want to do something with my life." She thought out loud. "I don't want to be stuck in this endless cycle of mine every day. I want to learn, and have some adventure, and most of all freedom. My mother watches me every day and never lets me spend time alone. 'You must always be with someone. Never know what could happen.'" She sighed. "I want to love somebody."

And with that, she closed her eyes and fell asleep in the warm summer air.

The king of the Underworld sat at his throne, resting his face in his right hand. It was a vast room and every move someone made would echo. The place was dark, very dark, compared with the upper- world. However, Hades was by far used to it, and actually preferred it over the light.

He sighed and looked to his left, where another throne would be. If only he had a partner. That was all her ever wanted really. A beautiful woman to love and care for. But who would truly love him?

The three sisters called "the fates" appeared. For they all spoke in unison. "Lord Hades, what's the matter? You look lonely."

He didn't look up when he replied. "I am, sisters." Hades had known the fates for a long time and thought of them as friends more than anything else. They knew when he would lie. So he thought, why waste my time lying when they already know what's going to happen before I do.

"You need love Hades." They said.

He smirked. "Is that so?"

"Yes. You long for it. You need it just as a mortal needs air."

"Then what should I do about it?" he said finally lifting his blue eyes up.

All at once they whispered "Persephone," and vanished.

His eyes widened. He hasn't heard that name in sixteen years. That sweet name that he had picked out for Demeter and Zeus's daughter when she was born. He remembered the way she looked at him when he cradled her in his arms. He held her more gently than anything in the world. When her emerald eyes met his blue eyes that seemed to absorb light, but all at once she smiled that toothless baby smile of her's and his whole world changed. All he did was whisper the name Persephone and Zeus overheard him and loved it. His eyes from then on reflected the light rather than absorb it. He had almost forgotten about her until now. Now, it was all he could do to not think of her.