At the Touch of Death

by Gina Carra

  "Don't. I've been just as confused with this fucking arrow between us as you have. I don't know what it's doing to me."

  There’s a moment where Hades thinks about hiding the whole truth, but realizes she can’t hide anything from Persephone, not anymore. “I spoke with the Fates, after Eros.” She feels dizzy remembering the time between the arrows. “Me and Eros, we always thought he got sick because he was disconnected from his powers, but they told me these false arrows have been disrupting people’s fate. It bends you off your destined path until it fades. That’s how powerful and confusing these arrows are. That’s why a god almost died here.” Hades stares at Persephone, really looks at her. She’s not even short of breath. She’s still strong. It doesn’t make sense.

  Persephone snaps back before Hades can ponder it longer. "So what, it bends fate? Forever?" Persephone struggles to wrap her head around that information.

  Hades tries to hold onto the frustration, the accusation that her feelings are fake, but it doesn’t feel important enough. "I don't know anymore."

  Persephone practically growls as she sighs harshly. “This can’t just be the arrow. I refuse to believe fate has such a strong hold on us.”

  Hades wants to laugh at that but it’s so beyond what she can express she just feels numb. “Persephone, I’ve been fighting against fate for my entire existence. Yet here I am, trapped down here. I can only go to Earth for one day a month and I’m a higher god. What makes you think you’re better than fate?”

  Persephone’s teeth clench. “You think so little of me?”

  Hades’s eyes narrow. “You know how highly I think of you.”

  Persephone bites back her words for a moment. The silence hangs heavy between them, some of the tension melting as they both settle into the pain behind their anger. Persephone’s voice is quieter than it had been. “You said it yourself, we only have four days left.”

  Hades tries not to react, but she can feel the sting of those words in her core. It means Persephone wants the arrow. Persephone wants out. Despite herself, Hades feels hot tears burn in her eyes. She turns from Persephone to hide it.

  Persephone’s behind her in a moment, holding her gently. “You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

  Hades pushes her away. “How else could you have meant it? You’d rather have me torn apart than spend another month trying to figure this out?”

  Persephone whines. “That’s not fair.”

  Hades yells. It’s one of the first times she’s fully embraced her emotions without holding anything back, “None of this is fair! I’ve been dealt a bad hand for millennia! My brother rules the world on a golden throne, and I’m trapped by myself in a prison of my own making! What part of any of this is fucking fair, Persephone?!” She takes a breath, wiping tears off her cheeks. She shakes her head as she sees Persephone’s eyes, wide and scared. Tendrils of smoke had curled out around Hades as she yelled. She forces herself to calm down, to rein in her powers. She swallows, breath shaky. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  Persephone steps forward carefully, grabbing Hades’s hand. Hades is too enamored with her to pull away anymore. “I won’t leave you. Even if we use the arrow, even if…I don’t know. I don’t fucking care. People have done it before, right? Beat fate? We’ve all heard stories about it—”

  Hades laughs darkly. “Those are called myths for a reason.”

  Persephone shakes her head, eyes fierce with determination. “Everything’s impossible until someone does it.”

  Hades’s laughs, but bitterness stains it. “You spend too much time with humans. That’s one of their quotes, isn’t it?”

  Persephone smiles and nods happily, petting a hand through Hades’s hair. “They’re not all so bad.”

  Hades stares at the River Styx, nodding to herself. “They’re not.”

  Persephone kisses Hades’s forehead. “Can I stay with you tonight? I don’t want to do anything. I just want to stay with you.”

  Hades nods without looking back at her. Persephone lets her lips ghost across Hades’s cheek before wrapping her arms around her. Their emotions flow together like a soft mist surrounding them. Confusion, fear, worry, care…love. Hades ignores the last one. She can’t trust that it’s real. It’s never been real.

  Hades breaks them apart to guide Persephone into her room. There’s no real reason to close to the door, but she does it anyway and it feels intimate, safe. Persephone gets under the covers first and Hades hesitates a moment before following her.

  Hades leaves space between them, but Persephone unashamedly cuddles into her. Hades can feel Persephone’s heartbreak. “I haven’t slept like this since I was home with Demeter.” A tear silently falls into the pillow. “I miss him so much.”

  Hades curls her arms around Persephone, holding her tightly and trying to hold onto this moment as long as she can. She already knows what she has to do.

  She has to let Persephone go home.

  She has to use the lead arrow.

  If Persephone feels the decision, she doesn’t comment on it. She falls asleep, that soft mist a blanket over them.

  Hades falls asleep too, intoxicated by the goddess with the beautiful soul asleep in her arms.

  Hope

  Hades wakes up slowly and groggily. She can’t quite distinguish between her own thoughts and Persephone’s after being in contact all night. She’s trying to get a hold of the swirling emotions when she realizes Persephone’s having a nightmare.

  Hades panics silently, torn on what action she should take. She feels like she should let Persephone have some privacy with her unfiltered thoughts, but Persephone’s clinging to her and Hades can’t bring herself to pull away.

  Persephone’s thoughts spiral as fear fills her heart, fear that she’ll be stuck here forever, fear that she’ll be stuck on Earth forever. It keeps switching as if she can’t decide which one she’s more scared of. Hades runs a hand through Persephone’s hair, gently waking her.

  It takes Persephone a few moments to stir and when she does a tear falls out of her eye. Hades wipes it away. “You were dreaming.”

  Persephone’s sleepy eyes blink a few times. “You could see it?” Hades nods, savoring the intimate moment. Three days left. She tries not to think about it. “I’m sorr—”

  “Nothing to apologize for. I’m scared too.” Hades attempts to soothe her.

  Persephone’s words float through their connection. I don’t want to leave you. But Hades sees the hesitance in her eyes. She feels that way, but she doesn’t voice it out loud. She’s also thinking of her family, her friends. She doesn’t want to leave any of them either. Hades keeps her face carefully blank. “You don’t have to put on this facade with me.” Persephone brushes her thumb across Hades’s cheek. She smiles bitterly. “I finally break through with you and the smiling kid I was hoping to meet is too sad to smile.”

  “I’m one of the oldest entities in all of creation. I’m not a kid.” Hades offers her a weak grin.

  “I’ve heard you act like a kid…when you’re happy.” Persephone tugs lightly at Hades’s lips with her thumb to wipe away the fake smile. “Stop it.” Her voice goes soft. “Stop lying to me.”

  Hades swallows before she scoots forward, pillowing her head on Persephone’s chest.

  Persephone’s startled for a moment before her arms wrap around Hades, holding her.

  Hades clings to Persephone and tries to forget about the future. She just thinks about right now.

  ✽✽✽

  Demeter startles when Hebe wraps her arms around him. They’re standing on a hill by some human’s farm. The acres of land are all brown and dead.

  Hebe presses her lips to Demeter’s neck. “People are dying, Demeter. You can’t keep this up.”

  Demeter shakes his head. “Persephone’s not back. That was my agreement with Zeus.”

  Hebe scoffs. “It was a threat, not an agreement. And Zeus isn’t really involved with this.”

  Demeter pulls away from Hebe.
“Zeus is involved with everything. He’s just choosing to ignore it ‘cause he hates his sister.”

  Hebe tsks. “That sister of his is practically your daughter-in-law.”

  Demeter stares at Hebe. “We don’t know that.”

  “Demeter, they’re fated.”

  Demeter shakes his head. “Plenty of people are fated.” Demeter turns away from her.

  Hebe grabs his shoulder and gently turns him back. “Hades is a higher god and it was fated. There's not a lot of leeway there. I don’t think you’re gonna find a loophole. Besides…if it truly is fated, Persephone’s probably already in love with her.”

  Demeter’s eyes are red, shaking his head. “I can’t believe that.”

  Hebe frowns, cupping Demeter’s cheeks in her hands. “Don’t you want her to be happy?”

  Demeter pushes Hebe’s hands off him. “If Persephone is so happy, why would she even come back?”

  Hebe blinks, understanding Demeter’s fear. Hades would be free to return to Earth in three days, but…what if they choose not to return. “N—No, you know Persephone wants to come back.” The stutter isn’t very convincing.

  Demeter laughs. “That was a week ago. A lot can change in a week.”

  ✽✽✽

  Eros stands in the shade against a building and ignores the glimmer of sunlight in the distance.

  The shadows start to shift and Eros frowns. “Helios, leave me alone.” The shadows shift even more. “Helios! You’re going to mess up people’s days! Stop being petty!”

  Eros runs as the sunlight starts to creep towards him.

  Finally, Eros stops, he stares up at the sun. “Put everything back and I’ll move.”

  The shadows quickly retreat back to where they started.

  Eros sighs, walking out from the shade. Helios’s wraps around his back in a heartbeat. “Cue, you can’t get an arrow for her.”

  Eros sighs. “Wow, it’s like I knew I didn’t want to talk to you or something.”

  Helios hugs him tighter. “You know how she got the last time you used a lead arrow. Zeus is going to have the armory guarded by practically every warrior in the universe until Hades’s time is up. And I thought you said this was fated.”

  Eros shakes his head. “She’s going to want the arrow anyway. I know her.”

  Helios sighs into Eros’s skin. “Would it even do anything?”

  Eros shrugs. “I have no idea.”

  Helios turns Eros to face him. “You don’t know what it would do and you would still do it?” Eros can see the judgment in Helios’s eyes, but he doesn’t take offense.

  “Sol, you don’t know her like I do. You don’t know how desperate she’s going to be.”

  Helios shakes his head. “No, once she finds out she and Persephone are fated, she’ll be happy.”

  All Eros has to do is look at Helios, doubt pooling in his eyes.

  Helios feels his resolve weaken. “She’ll be happy, won’t she?”

  Eros doesn’t answer him.

  ✽✽✽

  The rest of Persephone and Hades’s day is a lot of walking and hand-holding and no real talking. They let everything float between them. There’s too much fear to actually speak.

  They get back into bed together and Persephone kisses Hades’s lips softly, just a light pressure.

  Hades memorizes it. She tries to store the feeling of it in her memory somewhere it can’t be destroyed, but that’s just the thing: she knows it can. The lead arrow destroyed everything last time and it’ll do it again.

  She holds onto every moment Persephone gives her while she still can because she knows it’ll be gone soon.

  ✽✽✽

  When Hades opens her eyes, Persephone has a wide smile on her lips. “I’m gonna make you laugh today.”

  Hades blinks. “What?”

  Persephone practically tugs Hades out of bed. “We’re having fun and you’re gonna laugh.”

  Hades is groggy again like she was the day before, trying to find the line between herself and Persephone in her mind. It gets blurrier every day.

  Hades finds herself outside of her room. Persephone smiles briefly before her face morphs into a smirk. “Catch me.”

  Persephone takes off running down the banks of the river and Hades hesitates for a few moments before she follows suit, a soft smile spreading on her lips. “If you trip into the water, I won’t save you!”

  She hears Persephone’s voice call back to her. “Yes, you will!”

  Hades shakes her head as her smile grows bigger. Yeah, she will.

  Persephone’s surprisingly quick, so Hades reaches out with tendrils of smoke to gently wrap around Persephone’s waist and slow her down.

  The tendrils spiral around her and grow. Hades beams at Persephone as her smoke creates an image.

  Persephone pouts at her as the smoke draws petals around her head. Hades laughs. “My flower girl.”

  Persephone can’t help the tug in her heart as she hears Hades laugh. She swats at the smoke, clearing it away from her head. Hades just laughs harder.

  Persephone falls in love more every second she hears it.

  She steps out of the smoke with three determined paces until she’s kissing the laughter out of Hades’s mouth.

  Hades doesn’t hesitate. She lets her mouth move with Persephone’s. It’s lust, but it’s more than that. Hades can’t quite name the emotion. It’s just…want. It’s this pure kind of desire. Hades searches for more of it as she lets her hands roam Persephone’s body. Persephone’s already been mapping out hers.

  Hades kisses down Persephone’s neck as Persephone speaks up. “So, you’re out of practice in this area, right?”

  Hades snorts. “I’ve been around longer than you, flower girl. I remember the day you were created.”

  Persephone shudders. “That’s kinda creepy. Don’t talk about it like that.”

  Hades sighs into Persephone’s skin. “If my brother did one good thing in his life…” Hades pauses, pressing soft kisses from Persephone’s jaw to her temple. “It was to bring you into this world.”

  Persephone’s silent for a few moments. Her voice is soft and doesn’t carry the sarcasm that her words do. “You’re soft, you know that?”

  Hades laughs and the sound is youthful and mischievous. “Not for long, I won’t be.”

  Persephone gasps and pushes Hades away from her, stammering. “You—!” Hades laughs loudly, a little embarrassment tinting her ears pink. “I can’t believe you just made a dirty joke.”

  Hades tugs Persephone back to her, needing that contact, that connection. Her mouth goes to Persephone’s ear, lips tickling her skin. “You bring out the worst in me.”

  Persephone laughs loudly, it echoes through the empty caves. “I highly doubt that.”

  Persephone feels a pulse of emotion from Hades. Hades tries to rein it back, but it’s too late. She feels the memory of the lead arrow and Hades becoming her worst self. She knows what Hades’s thoughts were. Persephone wants the lead arrow and Hades would do it, no matter the cost.

  Persephone takes a breath, a light anger flowing between them. “How about we walk back to your room and let that bad mood evaporate? Then I can work you back up again.”

  Hades’s laugh is weak now as she lets Persephone tug her back toward their rooms.

  They’re quiet the whole way, but Persephone is letting her happy memories flow between them. She quickly stops as she feels Hades’s quiet resentment since most of the memories are with her friends on Earth. She starts again using only her memories with Hades.

  Hades nearly falls over in shock as all the memories hit her. She hadn’t realized how happy Persephone was this month, despite everything. “Don’t you miss your flowers?”

  Persephone huffs out a small breath. “Yeah, but I’ve got a pretty flower right here.” She kisses Hades’s cheek and Hades wants to argue or fight back, but she just smiles. Persephone nods as she opens the door to Persephone’s bedroom. “You’re the most high-ma
intenance flower I’ve ever had to look over.”

  Hades laughs, loud and bright.

  Persephone’s in love. She knows she is.

  This can’t be the arrow.

  It can’t be.

  She’s unsure who dove in, but they’re kissing again.

  Persephone lets Hades back her onto the bed and Hades tugs her shirt off quickly. Persephone follows suit.

  Persephone sits on the bed and scoots back as Hades follows her. She kisses her once, softly and pulls away as she straddles Persephone’s lap. “I don’t want to go all the way. You know that.” Hades clears her throat. “Not until…after.”

  Persephone stares at her confused for a moment, but then she recognizes the same thought process she had. When she asked Hades to hold onto her letter for Autumn. It’s hope.

  Hades has been so convinced they won’t have a chance after whatever happens in two days. This is hope. Persephone quickly agrees to it. “Yeah, baby. Whatever you want.”

  Hades scoffs. “Baby?”

  Persephone shrugs. “Would you rather I call you dark lord?”

  Hades moans as she lets her mouth travel down Persephone’s exposed chest.

  “Supreme ruler of darkness.”

  Hades ignores her.

  “King of death.”

  Hades sighs. “You know, I do have actual alternate names. Like Pluto.”

  Persephone snorts. “Yeah, but Pluto isn’t even a planet anymore.”

  Hades sits up to look at Persephone, confused.

  Persephone presses her lips together. “Did you not know?”

  Hades lets out a long sigh. “We’ll talk about that later.”

  They share a night of soft touches and silly jokes, they kiss, caress, love, love, love.

  They fall asleep, skin-to-skin in each other’s arms.

  ✽✽✽

  One more day.

  They wake up and Persephone tells Hades she wants to work on her letter for Autumn. Hades doesn’t understand but she lets her, sketching Persephone as she writes.