"Your Son Taught The Shepherds What!"

[Persephone]

She needed a toy Chihuahua that she could put sweaters on and keep her company when Hades started to train Cerberus again. The young woman looked down as she watched some lost souls wander past her. She tilted her chin up as she brushed back at her dark hair. There were only a couple of months left. There were only a few months left. She'd be back with her mother again. Demeter would be happy to see her daughter. The daughter and mother would be together and they could do whatever they wanted to. They'd make flower chains, watch horses, and be together.

Then she'd be away from her dearest Hades.

An internal battle went on in her heart. She loved her mother. She loved her husband. Why couldn't she just...The brunette brushed back at her hair with a pale slender fingers. The young looking goddess had her bare feet along the grasses as she titled her chin up. A tiny smile upon her face as she brushed her hair with her hands again. Her hair was left down and she would probably braid it back later.

The Spring Maiden looked back over her shoulder. The morning rush had just finished up. She wasn't surprised because a lot of people had accidents in the kitchen and died while flipping pancakes. She wondered if Hermes would wander in. Hopefully, he wouldn't bring anything in dead. Tangible that was not a soul or anything. Persephone hated seeing dead things up on Earth anywhere else they were perfectly fine.

She turned fully. Hermes. Perhaps Hermes was coming? Hermes was one of the few gods that Persephone liked. He was one of the few gods that she actually saw because not too many came to visit her or her husband. Not too many of them liked the Underworld which she understood, When she first came she hated the place too beyond all reason. It terrified her before. It was such a terrible place in her eyes before she had been so afraid.

The fear had died down and she loved her husband more than absolutely anything else. Persephone brushed her skirt off. Adorning her was a pink sun dress with spaghetti strap sleeves. There was a thick olive green ribbon around her waist and the hem of her skirt had a crinkled olive ribbon that matched. She hardly wore shoes except for when she was on Earth or near the River Styx.

The Spring Maiden tilted her chin up with a tiny smile. Visitor would be nice. She and Hades may have been recluses but it was hard to just stay together. IT would be nice if some more gods visited them. Gods they liked. Like Ares, Pan--Hey Persephone liked Pan she thought he was adorable despite what he taught the shepherds, and Hermes of course. Who couldn't like Pan? It was impossible to dislike him.

She brushed her skirt off to look somewhat presentable. Persephone hoped that she didn't look like a total mess. The young woman reached down as she felt along her face nothing was there. Her lips parted and she tugged at her skirt which reached near her knees. Looking down at herself she made sure that she was fine.

Hades always thought she was beautiful. She should think that too. Tilting her chin up she twirled her hair with her fingers. "Mmm," she breathed.

[Hermes]

“Alright everyone step right up, welcome to the underworld. Yes, yes, quite aware that none of you know what this place is because none of you know the Greek stories… well perhaps some of you but most of you don’t remember or don’t care,” Hermes said with a grin more or less talking to himself as he entered the all too familiar Asphodel Meadows. He only came here every few years or so (unless he was horribly, horribly bored) and behind him there were a mass of souls, aimless, wandering behind him and confused as he had guided them to the spirit world. So much for THANKS not so much as a gold coin for the poor Charon, but hell, times changed he supposed and he was BORED with it. This was about as close to mortals as he got now and what was the point of being the messenger between mortals and the gods if that connection between them was more or less forbidden?

Nothing.

Luckily he was still the patron for… athletics, boundaries, travel, poems… thieves. Damn he was bored. There was no point really, everybody was crossing all boundaries, take a look at all the immigrants in America for crying out loud. Music and poems? Rap. He was tired of that nonsense he hated horrible music. Athletics? Steroids disgusted him. Thieves? Now you were talking, they seemed to only have gotten better in the years and for that he was glad. Now that he loved watching that was his favorite pastime sport. Sure, he was the patron for the cows and the sheep as well, but mass slaughterhouses and the fact that his son, Pan, (where the hell was he anyway) was the major patron now just turned him off. So Hermes was bored. If there was anything he hated more it was BOREDOM especially since he was sure he had used most of his brownie points with Apollo and pissed him off enough so he went and did the only other job he had, guiding souls to the Underworld. Hopefully Hades wasn’t around and he could actually talk to Persephone, she was a pretty girl, that Persephone.

Pretty, optimistic (major plus, everybody was so moody nowadays), and she LAUGHED. Oh he loved her laugh. He was more or less in a daze as he thought about this, slightly slumping off. He had a lyre under his hand, a new one he had made recently and at least playing it kept the good boy Cerebrus from biting his arm off not to mention he had some water from Lethe just in case, it had worked all the other times, such a good… uh, dog. Dogs? Dog. It only had one body after all. He had something for her, especially since she was only able to go to the upper world to see her mother every now and then and he was sure that the woman never let her daughter out of her sight when she WAS there. Hermes actually paid attention to the things the girl liked and well, he really liked Persephone … but he wasn’t going to do anything because he honestly didn’t want Hades to snap his neck in half.

So he wanted to be her friend. Being someone’s friend wasn’t that bad, right? And HEY, Hermes thought he at least deserved a friend that wouldn’t make fun of him and someone he didn’t have the urge to steal from. She was too innocent for that… or something like that. She needed company, hell, if he had to stay with Hades for six months he was going to go OUT OF HIS MIND, so he wanted to be her company… honestly, that wasn’t so bad? Innocent company, perfectly harmless. Friends. That’s it just friends. Oh geez, please don’t slaughter him Hades. So far the man was almost always there when he was and so he was glad to see her all on her lonesome and practically pounced, breaking through the other souls and grinned, waving at her.

“Hello there Fair Maiden and where is that good husband of yours?” Yes. Getting married. Hermes had never, ever bothered with it. Just… three kids… er, two, he kept forgetting one was dead. “Hey, look, I got something when I was up there for you, I thought you’d like it… I mean… you like this kind of stuff, yeah? And I’m tired so I’ll be staying for a bit, maybe keep you some company other than..” He looked around to make sure Hades wasn’t around before saying, “The grumpy butt so, well, how have you been darling?” He asked pulling off the sling pack that he wore and he took out a stuffed toy of Hello Kitty. He hated the thing and of course he hadn’t paid for it, the man was the patron for thieves for crying out loud and he handed it over to her. Why did she like these things? He didn’t know. “Heard from a little goat you have a soft spot for this,” He said, unable to stop from smiling his face off. “It’s been a long, long time Persephone. I miss talking to you,” He said truthfully with a nod, giving her his award winning, charming smile that had kept other gods from just downright strangling him at one point or another. "All I got to content myself with are horrible conversations with some of the other gods, you'd be like a breath of fresh air."

How could you stay mad at that face?

[Persephone]

She watched people move apst her like sheep. Someone was a great herder. The younger goddess glanced up at seeing Hermes. Oh! Company! Hades was busy and he would start to get busier too because more and more mortals would probably get involved with the gods and die because they weren't careful. There was a war coming on now. That would mean more people. Just to freak out people she put her hand on her forehead, "Oh my life is death!" The young deity cried. Good old Goldie Hawn. Was she with them? Had she died yet? Perhaps not...She' d have to meet up with that stone fox David Bowie. Hey, just because she was a married woman didn't mean that she couldn't eye people. It wasn't like her dearest Hades didn't do it on occasions.

The goddess watched them run past her and she giggled. Oh, honestly, what happened to the sweet innocent maiden? The Spring Maiden glanced up at Hermes as she chirped, "Hermes!" Persephone watched her previous suitor. Hermes was fun. Dear trickster god. He hadn't changed over the eons not too much anyway and she loved her half brother. Ew. Wait that was right...

She watched him rush up and the young woman tilted her chin up to watch him. The young woman brushed back at her hair and she twirled it in her hands and she chirped to him. "It's so nice to see you. Hi." her voice was cheerful and chipper. The complete yang to Hades' yin. The two were so different from each other. How did they get married again? Oh, yes that was right!

She let out a half gasp. A present for her? Present! No one brought her presents before. Well, Hades did but they weren't you know presents she could...Wait scratch that she could play with him. Erm her presents. Her face drooped upon seeing Hello Kitty. She whined childishly, "Oh, Hermes I like My Melody." My what? It was another Sanrio character a rabbit with a pink hood. She giggled and took it. Persephone had gotten a soft spot for the thing upon numerous trips to Japan. She loved it there. She took hold of it and clutched onto it happily as the toy was hugged to her chest. Eyes closed happily and she buried her nose upon the bow claw head. The Spring Maiden had teased him. "Thank you," she chirped happily as she nodded. "My favorite." She liked My Melody too but Hello Kitty was the best. Her toes pushed together and she looked back up at him with olive eyes beneath long eyelashes.

Persephone looked back up at the trickster god. She wanted to hug him. Should she hug him? She hoped that Hades wouldn't castrate the poor guy. Others that attempted to get close to Persephone were well...She didn't even want to say...

She reached up and wrapped one of her arms around his neck. Eyes closed happily and she looked back up at him. She was at least eight inches shorter than him. She was shorter than everyone. She had to look up at everyone including Mama. "How's your darling son of yours? You know...The one that taught the shepherds how to..." She didn't want to say it. It made her mouth feel dirty! To think Zeus was her father.

The Spring Maiden and the Rich One had no children. They were a childless couple and Persephone wondered if they were barren or not. Not that it mattered. Her will to have a child wasn't strong. And her husband she was sure never wanted children. Everyone else seemed to have little ones running all about the place! Especially, Zeus.

Persephone smiled.

[Hermes]

Hermes’ heart was racing to hear the goddess call out his name and hell he was bouncing around practically jumping over towards her. Persephone was just as lovely as ever… and in pink. He didn’t exactly favor the bright colors, he liked the darker ones, like brown, auburn…earth colors, the like but seeing these colors on Persephone always brightened his day. He didn’t give a DAMNED what she wore she could wear nothing as far as he was concerned (erm… yes please). He loved his half sister, regardless if it was right. Yeah. Take that Hades. “It’s great seeing you, I haven’t seen you in ages!” He said grinning like a madman when he saw how happy she was and optimistic, it was such a sight for sore eyes. And then he got jealous. Horribly jealous over Hades because WHY DID HE HAVE TO TAKE HER she was just… just so ARGH just so not like everybody else. He didn’t deserve her stupid… ugly man pomegranate seeds were so CHEAP to use. COME ON.

He was grinning when he heard her gasp because his present was awesome and she would love it and love him for it and he just couldn’t wait, however his face practically went STONE when he heard her words. Yes, he had been smiling his head off to complete stone and his mouth opened up a little. OH HOW CRUEL FATES WERE! What the hell was My Melody anyway? He didn’t even know what that was and it took him forever to realize that Hello Kitty wasn’t a cat that you said hello to. He started to scratch his head and looked at his feet, not knowing what to say as he was speechless at the moment, heartbroken as his heart had been grabbed and stomped on several times and lay in shattered pieces on the floor after her words. He removed his hat slowly inching back, “I’ll… uhm… just…” He was really going to just run away but probably slam into a wall because he wasn’t paying attention but when she saw her hold it to her chest happily, he just fell over. SHE HAD TEASED HIM. And that’s why he loved her one hundred percent as he got up, picking up his hat and wringing it in his hands, embarrassed that he had thought she would be so inconsiderate. “You’re welcome… haha, you know you are always welcome just tell me if you want anything I can always bring it whenever I visit.” He was getting a little bit bashful now, slightly red that he of all people—THE TRICKSTER GOD had been out tricked. It was only because he never thought that Persephone was capable but hell, he loved her even more for it.

When she wrapped an arm around his neck he only hugged her back, awkwardly at first before he picked her up and spun her around and put her back in her original spot, grinning again like a mad man. She made him so happy, so happy. But. Must. Have. Self. Control. It was so hard his eye was practically twitching to keep from well, telling her that he liked her as more than a friend, much more. “Oh Pan?” That’s who everyone meant when they said ‘son’ after all even though Aphroditus had been born as his son… he was … a he…she…. It. Thing. He didn’t even know and well, he was glad most people had forgotten about him. “Haha, you mean masturbate right?” He said completely bluntly as he wasn’t always the most delicate person around. “Yeah yeah, he’s a little ball of energy, gotta love him, you know. I think the masturbate thing was more or less my fault, boy was a little bit overly sexual and I just had to teach him and then he had to go and teach shepherds… now that’s a different story.” He said completely disregarding his previous statement of “Persephone is so innocent” and seemed to not realize he should probably not have been saying those things around her.

“Yeah, never… really found the right person to have kids with, you know? Just never felt right, always turned wrong, but I would have loved to have kids… just with one person only, it causes too many problems if you are well… like Dad.” He said laughing after that saying it most truthfully. One person. One person like Persephone. She looked like a person who wanted kids, it was probably because of Hades that she didn’t. He wanted kids! Seriously! Honestly! His love life was DEAD though. D-E-A-D. DEAD. He never got into much romances, except for Aphrodite and look who she ran back too. SO much for the goddess of love… or whatever.

[Persephone]

"Well," she said slowly as her hands were on her hips and she smiled. "That's your own doing. You never write you never call. You never come." Her eyes closed half way and she tapped her foot upon the ground and she puffed out her cheeks. "It's your fault you haven't seen me." Then Demeter was always with her when she wasn't with her husband like white on rice. The young goddess looked up at him with a smile as she let go of her hair with pallid hands. Persephone was so pale from the lack of sunlight.

The young goddess knew that it was cruel to tease him like that and his face made her heart break. Immediately, she felt upset for making him feel upset. The tiny goddess giggled and she noticed his blush as she covered up her mouth and nose with her slender hand. She let out a chirp when he was spun around by him.

The tiny girl held onto him with her free hand. She was spun around by him and she had one of her legs up behind her. Her nose crinkled happily and she tilted her chin up as she watched him her hand traveled over her new present and she giggled again. Eyes closed she was happy. He made her happy. Persephone's plump lips parted in an "O" and she nodded. "Yes him. He's so cute."

She thought he was cute and he had goat ears! Goat ears were fun! And she liked rubbing them. She liked goats they had funny eyes. One reason why she liked Hermes too because he liked goats. The only goats she used to see were sacrificed goats. Which weren't as cute...

“Haha, you mean masturbate right?”

When he said that she giggled. Why was she laughing? She didn't know but there were a couple of things that she could say and she couldn't say. Like certain words would make her laugh. Penis. Vagina. Masturbate. They all made her giggle! It was terrible. Hades would say something like penis or try to use a different word and she'd start laughing like a little seven year old. It wasn't her fault! Her hand was over her mouth and her eyes shut as her shoulders heaved up and down. Why did that make her laugh?

"Oh, Hermes, you're so bad," was all that she managed to say. "If I was like Zeus, then...Oh, that wouldn't be good." She blushed at that thought and tilted her chin up as she brushed back at her hair. The young goddess tilted her chin up to watch him. She didn't want to be the world's whore like her father! She never called him dad. He was a sperm donor.

She licked at her lips softly.

[Hermes]

“I do come! I am here right now aren’t I?” Hermes said ever so innocently while she seemed upset that he didn’t come and it only made him puff up his chest a little. She missed him, she really missed him and wanted him to come more. He had been wary of coming too often with the fear that Hades might realize why he was coming and it wasn’t only to deposit souls, but Hades wasn’t around right now, was he? “I uh… if I write, I would be the one to deliver it, I am the messenger.” He said with a slight chuckle and just laughed at how she was getting mad. She was so cute when she was angry he honestly loved it one hundred percent. “And well, I’m here now I’ll come more often I promise.” And yes, he didn’t want to hang around Persephone with Demeter and Hades there, it just ruined the affect. He couldn’t be himself. He had to be the silly boy that didn’t want to… er… uhm… charm Persephone. Yeah, put it that way. “Hey, can’t wait to see you on the upper end, yeah?” He said touching her cheek gently with the back of his hand as she was rather pale and he loved seeing her in the sunlight with her moth. Ah, those were what made him so happy.

“Pan’s cute now eh?” He said trying to hide his slight jealousy for his son. Bah. Cute? He was cute! Yeah… sort of. He was wasn’t he? He wasn’t ugly. He was attractive at least. Right? Yeah, a little bit insecure but then again he had never exactly been the lady’s man. “Well maybe next time I can convince him to come and visit with me, how does that sound? Or maybe when you go visit your mother we can drop by and show you the new lambs, wouldn’t that be great?” He suggested innocently though a little bit disappointed. Seeing Persephone with Pan would just ruin the affect, but his son wasn’t that much trouble it would only be better if it made her happy. He wouldn’t mind at all. And look at her lips… damn he couldn’t take his eyes off it when they parted. Goats and cows and sheep after all had been under him before his son came along to take some of the weight off. He was practically the god of a lot of random things.

However when she laughed when he said masturbate he cocked an eyebrow. He had always watched his language around her so seeing her laugh uncontrollably at the word he only chuckled a little after her. “I’m not bad! That word… well, it’s just like… saying uhm…” He rubbed the back of his head thinking a little bit. “It’s like saying uh…” Damn now he couldn’t say it thanks to her because he was sure she would start laughing. “It’s like saying vagina… look you have one so it shouldn’t be silly. I mean… right?” He said with a slight laugh and when she said “if I was like Zeus” he raised an eyebrow slightly and looked her over. “Yeah, I mean… he shouldn’t do what he does, but don’t you want to have kids one day. I don’t see Hades as the … er, family man.” Hermes said with a nod and looked her over hopefully.

He wanted kids. Hot damn did want kids, just … with the right person.

[Persephone]

"You come every..." she started to say as she held up a slender hand and lowered every finger as though she were counting. Her cheeks puffed and she looked back to him as slender eyebrows rose up. "I don't even know." How long had it been? Persephone had lost count time wasn't a necessity for the gods. All Persephone needed to know was the changing of the seasons. All she needed to know was Spring and Fall. Night and day. That was it. Those were the only things she needed to know. Brushing the hair out of her eyes she tucked numerous locks behind her ear and leaned into his hand like a cat when he touched her cheek. It was only because she trusted Hermes not to attempt to seduce her. She was sure that Hades wouldn't think that though. Hades might get angry. She really hoped that he wouldn't take out any anger on the Messenger. Her lips curled into a smile.

Upon hearing him she nodded. "Yes, he's adorable," Persephone replied. "Goats are soft." She liked them unlike Zeus. But then again Persephone wasn't forced to hang from a tree and suckle from a goat. Ew. Now that she thought about it the more she realized why Zeus hated goats so much! "Oh I'd love that," was her reply. Babies were cute. The young goddess nodded. She would like that. Lambs were soft and so cute. They made her think of goats. Persephone continued. "I would like that. Mama." Yes Mama. "And I are usually with horses." Her mother loved horses they were sweet natured creatures. Miniature horses were her favorite though, forever young looking. Forever a child.

That was when she heard the V word and she pressed her lips together. Giggling, she snorted a little as she looked back to him. It was terrible she knew that it was terrible. It wasn't her fault though, Persephone had the mentality of a child most of the time when she wasn't feeling needy and she could use her poor Hades. Hades was the poor victim of Persephone instead of the other way around. He'd just be sitting there doing his work and she'd practically tackle him and rip his pants off. Poor Hades.

Upon hearing that she blushed and looked down at her feet in a shy manner. "Not now," she wouldn't want to bring a child in with a war on the brink. She smiled up at him and she continued after a moment, "I don't know...If..." Hades she was sure didn't want children. And it had been eons and she couldn't get pregnant. Perhaps she couldn't have children. But she wasn't about to share that information with Hermes!

"Besides, they'd be just as torn with me. Who would I keep it with, Hermes? I have two homes." She sounded like a child of a divorce. "I know mother would want it just as much as me. But it would be his." It wouldn't work out. "I think I'm better suited to have pets instead of children." That was right she needed to ask about getting her own dog.

[Hermes]

“Yeah…sorry about that,” Hermes said with a slight tilt of his head as he wasn’t sure how long it had been since he had seen her too, but he didn’t want it to be too often unless somebody noticed and well… it just felt like an eternity to him. An eternity to a god. Tch, he WAS getting melodramatic. “I can… well, I’ll talk to Hades see if he wouldn’t mind me coming more often I don’t need him getting…” Jealous. Furious. Vengeful. Blood thirsty. However he avoided all those words and just said simply, “Unhappy.” He flashed her a smile as he didn’t really want to bother her that much and he only cupped her cheek in one of his hands resisting from using too unless he wanted it to really, really look like he were about to do something. Yeah, he wouldn’t do anything because he never liked conflict, it wasn’t his thing so he would… just… watch…her…and Hades. GAH HIS BRAIN! He needed to stop thinking about these things! And he really didn’t want to make Hades angry, he actually liked the guy, a little moody yeah, but he wasn’t all that bad. He was nice. To Hermes. Sometimes.

“Oh uhm… okay,” Hermes said slightly awkwardly. It was sort of weird talking about his son as adorable as well, Hermes didn’t really SEE Pan as adorable. After all they were both men (and Hermes didn’t like men like that) and hell, his son was covered in FUR torso down not to mention hairy chest, beard…horns…uh…hooves. Yeah…and Pan certainly didn’t ACT adorable the kid was horny all the time. Hermes rubbed the back of his head slightly embarrassed for a moment until she mentioned how she would love it and he smiled, “Ah, alright! I’ll bring them over to see you then… and uhm… mama?” He wasn’t sure why she said that and just continued rubbing the back of his head awkwardly trying to figure out what to say until she started giggling at the word vagina and he just couldn’t stop laughing. “Stop laughing I won’t stop if you don’t!” He said truthfully as he couldn’t stop giggling, “It’s okay to say that word! It’s just a part of the body… well not my body, but your body so why are you laughing?”

He tilted his head to the side when she blushed and he raised his eyebrows, “oh yeah… the war and all, I can understand that.” He said shoving his hands in his pockets slightly ashamed for bringing the subject up. Bad Hermes, bad boy! He thought shoving the cap on his head to hide his eyes for a moment. And she was right about that, where would she keep the children? “Maybe… your kids… could be like me, sort of, I guess.” Oh wait that totally came out wrong, he had meant going from the upper world to the lower world whenever they pleased. It wasn’t something all the gods could do but agh, he shouldn’t have worded it like that! So he added quickly, “You know, go between the Underworld and Olympus whenever they please, come and see…uh…daddy.” It pained him to realize that Hades WOULD be the dad if she had kids. “And they can go see you whenever and when you are down here they wouldn’t have to leave… it could work out if you wanted it to… and uh…what kind of pet? A goat?”

He asked this with a confused raised of an eyebrow as goats and lambs were the only things they talked about. He didn’t really like dogs all that much. They were…okay, but then again Cerebrus did try to snap at him from time to time. Nice doggie. Stay. STAY!

[Persephone]

"You don't have to ask his permission," she rolled her eyes as she placed her hands on her hips. "I rule over this domain too. And I give you permission to come visit us." She nodded again. She ruled over the Underworld too. The young woman smiled and she reached up as she brushed back at her hair. The young woman nodded and she continued, "There now you an come wherever and it's all good!" It was all good and he could come whenever because she did get lonely and she wouldn't have anyone to speak with because Hades would be busy. She was sure that more people would come in with he others are war.

"Mmhmm," was all that she managed to say. She would love to see the newborns. They were so cute and she loved them. All babies were cute. The young goddess would be happy to see them. They would get children sometimes in the Underworld which wasn't nice. She didn't understand why they had to die so young. That was when she got an idea. She shook her head and the young woman continued, "I don't understand why Poseidon had to be god of the horses." Was she suggestion that Hermes should have been their god instead? Perhaps she was.

She shook her head immaturely. "Yeah but it's just," she giggled. It was hard to explain. Those words, it didn't get any better over the years it was so hard for her to just not laugh at them. It was terrible. Persephone knew that it was terrible!

Upon hearing that her children should be like him her eyes shot up towards the messenger. Persephone hoped that he wasn't suggestion what she thought he was and that Hades wasn't around. She stopped after a moment though and she realized that he hadn't and she sighed. Good thing Hades wasn't there. "I couldn't," she shook her head. Have children that was. "I mean it be too confusing and I'm sure Mama wouldn't want them to be with him." Mama would probably be just as protective over the child. She couldn't do that to anyone. The closest she had to a baby was Adonis. Persephone smiled and she continued, "It's all right Hermes. Maybe some day." She doubted that would happen but she didn't quite. She couldn't ask.

"Well, I would like a pet but," she blushed as she looked back up at Hermes. "...I think Cerberus would be jealous and might you know...Eat it." The Spring maiden knew that was horrible thing to say but true!

[Hermes]

“Yes I know I don’t really HAVE to ask his permission but if I don’t he’ll…” Hermes made the motion of him getting his neck cut and having it flop over on his shoulders lifeless. He was apparently quite used to doing this as it looked rather convincing before he put his head back in its rightful place and smiled when she mentioned that she was the ruler too. Well… it was not as comforting to get the permission from her than it would be Hades, but if he had her permission, what could her husband do? Kill him? Hehe. Hopefully not. “Alright, I will then, I’ll come back soon, I promise. I’ll visit more often.” He said assuring her, and he really did like the idea of visiting more… as long as Hades would be busy. Yes, he was expecting to come here even more often when the war started. He was just lucky he wasn’t taking any sides but then his job would be even more hectic. More deaths, more souls.

“Well… because Poseidon’s…uhm…” Hermes had to think about this one but he was pretty sure there was a reason he just didn’t remember everything people did on the back of his hand. “He gave… horses to people… the people that like Athena whatever their name is.” He said rubbing the back of his head, not remembering the city of Athens all that well. “And his mom fed his dad a baby horse…er…I can’t remember why.” He wasn’t that well with memory when it didn’t concern him and Poseidon certainly wasn’t one of those gods that concerned him all that much. He just knew that much because well, he liked horses and he would really have liked to have been their patron but it hadn’t turned out that way. “Well, he stays in the ocean it doesn’t make that much sense to me, but I do take care of horses. I like anything with hooves.” He said with a grin though he meant goats and sheep in particular and occasionally cows though sometimes they got on his nerves.

Hermes was glad that he had just barely managed to save himself and that Persephone didn’t appear to have noticed what he could have meant by that… or so he thought. He really hadn’t tried to say that, but perhaps it was just clawing in his subconscious to get out. “Well they are yours kids… does it matter what your er… Mama wants? You should do what’s best for them… and yeah… some day, it wouldn’t make sense to have them now with the… er war and all.” Hermes said with a slight shrug and gave her a slight sympathy pat on the shoulder though more or less he wanted one himself. He had kids, only one of them he saw on a daily basis and three that were possibly his children but seeing as it was Aphrodite who had borne them he would never know for sure if they were his or Ares’ or Apollo’s or Hephaestus’ or whoever’s. Geez. Sigh. SIGH.

“Well, just get a pet and don’t let it out of your sight. It’s been… how many eons, I’m sure he would realize if something means a lot to you.” Hermes knew he did. He always tried to think of whatever made Persephone happy or sad. “Well if you ever wanted a pet goat or sheep, just tell me. I can pick out a really little one for you, if you wanted.” He said not realizing that the type of pet that she wanted wasn’t a sheep, but a dog. He just smiled at her, offering and not really sure what else to say otherwise.

[Persephone]

"He'll do nothing if I have anything to do with it," she finished his sentence for him despite the fact that wasn't what he was about to say. Shaking her pointer finger at him she shook her head. "I have control over one of the most powerful gods, Hermes," she was bragging a little. Hades did as she asked. He was a gentle creature when it came to her. Everything was candy and sunshine. Persephone smiled softly to him and she continued. "If you stay by me then nothing will happen. I'll protect you." She laughed at the Messenger. "I promise."

Horses were sweet.

Horses were sweet and they were so...She couldn't quite explain it. Mother had brought her up with horses. She grew up amongst plants and animals where she learned no evil and was completely oblivious to everything that had gone on. She hadn't learned that she had suitors until a millennium after she married Hades. She was flattered really she never saw herself as an eligible bachelorette back then. Hades was right. They had been different people.

Upon being pat she snorted and then started to laugh. "You," she laughed and pointed at him before she doubled over. "Oh, Hermes if only Mama was your mother too!" Mama never let her children grow up. Even her siblings were the same aside from the fact that they weren't as close with Mama as she was. Persephone snorted again as she continued to laugh. "I...In her eyes I am still not old enough to be married." If it was up to her mother she was sure that she'd remain a child forever. If her mother could have kept her small she was sure that she would be a child.

Letting out a deep breath she shook her head, dark hair flew every which way. "Ah, and that's why he'd kill it," was her response. "Cerberus is such a sensitive boy, he gets jealous so easily even when I'm with Hades. He wants all attention on him all the time and to be stuffed with honey cakes." She was sure that if Cerbie had his way then he'd be morbidly obese from honey cakes and have Persephone and Hades dote on him all day long.

"A little white one?" she asked hopefully. "With soft ears?"

[Hermes]

“Uhm… he won’t?” Hermes asked a little bit skeptical as he really didn’t know the relationship between Persephone and Hades. In his hopeful mind Persephone didn’t really love Hades and was just married to him under obligation and stayed here because of the pomegranate seeds since she had no choice. However he knew, somewhere that that wasn’t the case and let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head and tried to crack a joke when she said she had the control of one of the most powerful gods he innocently said, “You have control over Zeus?” He said with a geeky sort of chuckle at his own joke but nodded at her and smiled. Hearing her say that nothing will happen, that she would protect him and promised he just about fainted with joy right there but happened to stay upright and nodded dumbly as he tried not to say something stupid that could keep him out of the Underworld forever. Becaaause if Hades found out he was going to get bloody murdered and that wasn’t on the top of his to-do list. He really wanted to stay out of the conflict and so far, besides with his little affair with Aphrodite and pissing Ares off with that (hey, that woman is UNFAITHFUL) he was pretty sure he did a good job with that.

Yeah. Suitors. Suitors like Hermes who had always loved her for her laughter and even more when he had to SEE her with Hades, in the beginning unhappy, though those were the times he had perhaps been a little bit shy around her and so… well, he couldn’t do anything but now he was damned well certain that … he liked her but HE STILL COULDN’T DO ANYTHING. Sigh. SIGH. Groan. MOAN. BITCH FIT. He really wanted one. While Persephone thought about horses Hermes was more or less trying not to yell and shake her and ask her why she liked Hades and how he could take better care of her… because he knew it wouldn’t work and so he just kept his mouth shut, and smiled. His half sister. She was his half sister, married and she wanted kids with her husband. She wasn’t unhappy like Aphrodite had been in her marriage, Persephone was happy and he wanted it to stay that way, telling her anything that was on his mind right now wouldn’t make anything better. Why did he always have to like the women who were taken and so clearly not into him?

He was practically shaken from his misery when he heard her laugh and burst out into a smile, unable to laugh as well when he saw how happy she was. However when she mentioned Demeter and how she should have been his mother he raised a slight eyebrow, “Yeah…but we’d be brothers and sisters. Like… real ones.” OH GEEZ. He got it now. She didn’t see him as anything else other than a younger brother or something like that. That’s how EVERYONE saw him! Damn was he a pathetic heap or what!? “Oh yeah, that would’ve been great, we could have been together all the time in the beginning.” He said with a pathetic sounding laugh as he was running out of laughs at the moment. Daaaamn it. “Yes, well clearly you are old enough to be married, you are married to Hades after all.” He said and saying that he only let out more awkward laughter that was obviously being forced out and he started to look over his shoulder at the exit. Okay, now he really wanted to leave this conversation wasn’t fun anymore.

“Yes, well I can always show Cerebrus the lamb and try to coax him into liking it. You know, maybe he’ll see it as a little brother or something and want to protect it,” He said with a smile, even more so when she mentioned that the pet she wanted was indeed one of the ones he took care of. “Of course! I’ll give you the first pick out of the ones that are born when you return in the spring, I promise. Now would that be a sheep or a goat? Or did you want to pick when you see?” He asked, smiling again. He loved how she loved sheep and well, that reminded him. He pulled the lyre out from underneath his arm and showed it to her. “Look, I made this recently… do you want me to play a song for you?”

Bad idea. Very bad idea because he knew that it would probably be him basically telling her that he cared… in the form of a song. Pathetic. Ugly and pathetic but he couldn’t help it! It was still innocent fun after all. He wasn’t ever going to try anything, as far as he was concerned. So couldn’t he at least pine and tell her in his own way? Indiscreet as it was, he was sure Persephone would think nothing of it. He always did play his music for her, after all.

[Persephone]

"No," she shook her head trying not to laugh at him. She did understand why he was afraid of Hades though. She really did understand. She'd been afraid too. When she was first married she was afraid that he'd rape her or get angry and try to hurt her. But he never did. He was gentle and sweet. He'd never done anything to hurt her. "No not him." Zeus wasn't controlled by anyone. "Hades does as I tell him. He won't hurt anyone if I don't ask him." She shook her head some dark hair tumbled over her eye as she brushed it back with slender fingers.

If Persephone had any clue to how upset Hermes was or let alone why she would have tried to calm him down. First should would have been flattered that she was desired by someone aside from her husband. Then she'd probably try to comfort him. Then she'd deal with the problem in the normal way she would. She'd run to Hades. That was just how she was. She couldn't help it. Her mentality was still that of a little girl.

"Well, doesn't mean that we can't, Hermes," was her reply. She meant play around. Not in a romantic or sexual way or anything. She meant actually play. She still amid flower chains, visited Earth to play on with actual toys as in balls and yo-yo's. "You can still play with me, Hermes I'm not that old." She wasn't an old lady was she? "Ah, Mama doesn't think I'm old enough though." Mama didn't think that she could do anything. She sighed and looked up at him with a tiny smile.

"I'd like to see first." Lambs were nice. So sweet natured. But so were goats. It would be hard to choose especially since both were so cute. Goats had funny eyes! Their eyes were slitty and funny and they made her laugh. But Lambs were just as nice. They were so soft. She loved the way the wool felt.

"Oh, yes," she ndded upon being offered a song her eyebrows knit together. Innocently, she placed a hand on his hand with a smile and she nodded. "Please." She only got to hear music every so often. She wasn't a terribly great musician. She could sing though and was often tired of hearing her own voice.

"Please."

[/size]

[Hermes]

Hermes only smiled, weakly when Persephone mentioned that Hades wouldn’t hurt anyone if she asked. One half of his mind was going, ‘That can’t be true that can’t be true’ and the other half went, ‘of course you twit they are in love.’ And he just continued on smiling weakly so that Persephone wouldn’t realize there was a problem. He had always liked her, after all he had ASKED for her hand in marriage with Demeter… who had refused. Bitch. No, he didn’t mean that, he seriously didn’t. Then he was the one who had taken Persephone out of the Underworld he was almost CERTAIN that she would fall for him then, he had almost saved her from being forcefully married to the god of the underworld until the pomegranate seeds were given to her. He had been SO close! Argh she had been too innocent and Hades too crafty. Bastard. And … he didn’t mean that… probably. “Well that’s comforting to know that I most likely won’t die,” He said with a slight hint of sarcasm though he scolded himself for acting so childish. He always knew she was taken why the hell was he acting this way now?

And the exact reason Hermes didn’t tell Persephone how he felt (except very indiscreetly) was because he knew she would run to Hades, then Hades would kill him. And then… whatever happened after that was probably nothing because there were no more Greeks to write down how tragic (or pathetic) his death would be. Sigh. GROAN. Sigh. When he got her reply he let out a slight laugh. She wanted to play around… BAD THOUGHTS DIE BAD THOUGHTS DIE. He had to ruffle his head up and put his hands on his knees like he was going to throw up but more or less he was just trying not to get aroused. Why did she have to be so innocently cute? His eye twitched when she told him that he could still play with her, twitched again when he tried to think of a response but no, the god of mischief was speechless. He had never been that good around women at all. “Uhm…yeah… sure just tell me when I can go… bring a…discus or something and maybe we can play fetch with Cerebrus, huh?” He said with a twitchy sort of grin as he tried to eliminate all bad thoughts from his brain. It was polluted now. Thanks Persephone, as if it weren’t already!

“Alright, then spring time it is then. I’ll pick out the best ones and have Pan help me and I’ll go and show you then,” Hermes said proudly. He was going to breed the best for her and get her the best lamb or goat that he could possibly ever produce. Just for her. All for her. He felt a shudder down his spine when she placed a hand on his and he nodded and moved to a slight sitting position though moved a distance away from her so that he could still look at her comfortably without having to crane his neck up so much as he started to pluck on the strings to test their strength and warm up his fingers as well as he started to sing, slightly trying to keep the twitch out of his voice as he knew this song was for her. The song was originally in Greek, old, but not horribly so but from the 1800s and he felt that it just… spoke to him and so he had learned it and had wanted to sing it for her ever since.

“I fell in love with a shepherdess,
An excellent girl.
I was a speechless bird,
A ten-year-old boy.

One morning when we were sitting
On the flowering grass,
“Mary, I want to tell you one word,” Though of course he meant Persephone though he bit his tongue down and said Mary as it went better with the melody and he kept on playing, staring over at her quietly.
“Mary,” I said to her, “I love you.”
“Mary,” I said to her, “I love you.
I am crazy about you.”

She embraced me about the waist.
She laughed at me and danced
She said, “For the sighs
From the pains of love,
You don’t understand what it is.”

I’ve grown up and I’m looking for her.
Her heart is looking for someone else.
She has forgotten me, she has someone else,
But I will never forget
But I will never forget
Her laugh.
But I will never forget
Her laugh.”

He paused and got up, swallowing hard as he looked over at her weakly and smiled. “So… did you like it?” He was sure that if anyone, including Hades, had heard him sing that song they would hear the longing in his voice and realize that it was for her, but no, not Persephone, which only made him like her more because she was too innocent to realize that all this time he had pined for her all along.

[Persephone]

Men were all babies. All of them. Gods and mortals alike! They were all babies! All of them! Even her Hades. "Hermes, you can't die," she replied knowingly. He couldn't because he was an immortal. Sighing, her shoulders dropped. Idiot. It wasn't that she really thought he was an idiot or something but he was making a ton out of nothing. Fathead. She shook her head as she rolled her eyes.

Watching him double over and she watched him. "Uh," she started to say. She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned forwards. SMOOSH! Creamy flesh pressed together as her hands were placed upon her knees. The young goddess bat her eyelashes. God, Persephone just flash your breasts in front of the poor aroused guy!

No wonder Hades couldn't keep her hands off her. Persephone never wore bras, they were tortuous devices made by human men. The only time she wore them was when she went Aboveground. That was it. "Can I do anything to make you feel better?" When he started to bring himself back up again she smiled happily.

He was all right.

When he sat down she plopped down too upon her feet. She tilted her chin up to watch him and she chewed upon her lower lip a little bit. Persephone listened to his song. Her heart started to ache and the young woman watched him sadly. Her heart broke.

He was half way through the song and she whimpered as she felt her eyes water. He finished and looked up at her. Tears ran down her cheeks. Not even Orpheus could rival that. She was crying. The Spring Maiden had her hands up to her eyes and she sat there as she pulled her knees up to her chest. Tears tumbled freely upon her pallid cheeks. Plump lips pressed together. The girl whimpered and she wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered to him quietly. "I'm really sorry..."

Persephone knew that he didn't mean to make her cry it was just that his song was so beautiful.