20 Days ('nother Hades n Seph fic)

[Hades]

Will be updated every day 'til Sept. 21st. Yes...I got inspired last night (at about midnight, when I was supposed to be sleeping) and decided I'd sit down and write this. I mean, I'm on DU 24/7 anyway, why not use it for something useful Hades/Seph related? ...not that I don't already. >> << >>

"Maci. C'mere, do me a favor....?"

"What's in it for me?"

"You get the satisfaction of helping your parents out. Now shut up and c'mere."

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"You're absolutely ridiculous. Packing now? You've got weeks until you have to leave."

"I'm getting a head-start on things so I can get out of here as soon as possible on the first day of autumn," Persephone replied to her mother, shooting her a look.

Demeter frowned as she watched her daughter throw chitons and robes and et cetera into her suitcases. "Must you bring everything you own with you?"

"What, do you expect me to go out and buy new stuff every equinox? I'm gonna be gone for six freaking months."

Demeter rolled her eyes. "But, still--"

A knock on the door cut off Demeter's words.

Persephone rose from her spot on the floor - she had been kneeling - and went to go see who would dare disturb her when she was only a few weeks away from coming home and in her happy state.

"Ciao, mom," said Macaria, leaning in the doorframe with a scroll in her left hand.

Demeter, behind Persephone, disappeared in a poof of green.

Macaria gave the now nonexistant goddess a dirty look and strode into her mother's home.

Persephone grinned. "Oh, so now you come visit me? I'm coming back in a few weeks."

"I'm here on business," replied Macaria with a grin of her own, and she waved the scroll in her hand at Persephone, "Message from dad."

She took the scroll from her hands and unrolled it curiously, blinking and then smiling when she saw the two words scribbled in it's center:

20 days

Persephone hugged the scroll to her chest, ignoring Macaria, who was making a big show of rolling her eyes and gagging, and staring absentmindedly out the window instead. After a moment, she looked to Maci and spoke, "So if I write something to him tommorow will you bring it for me?"

Macaria looked at her flatly. "Uh, no. I'm already real thrilled about being daddy's little messenger girl, 'kay, I don't need to become mommy's messenger girl, too. Get one of your nymphs to do it."

"They don't like going to the Underworld, though."

"Tough for them. You're in charge of them, make them go." She said it matter-of-factly, like this should have been obvious.

Persephone rolled her eyes. "When some dryad shows up at the Underworld tommorow, try to keep her from getting mauled, mkay?"

"What's in it for me?" Macaria said, leaning up against the wall with her arms folded and her eyebrows raised.

"The satisfaction of helping your parents out."

Macaria blinked. Heh. Deja vu. "Hm...okay, fine. Whatever."

"Thanks a ton."

Maci shrugged then cast a regretful smirk at her mother. "I'd love to stay and chat and all, but I have to go. I've got people waiting for me."

"People?" echoed Persephone.

"Yes. Intelligent two legged things that talk. People."

'You're hilarious."

"I try," Macaria shrugged and grinned, "Okay, now, seriously, I have to go. Seeya soon, okay?" Before Persephone could respond, she had vanished, leaving only a disappating cloud of smoke and a faint burnt smell behind.

Persephone, after another second of wistful smiling, set the scroll from Hades on her bed and resumed packing.

Review me, pretty please. This story is exclusive and can only be found on DU. >> << >> For now. ;D

[~Elisa Maza~]

Elisa: Alright! More blackmail for Hades.

Giselle: You're horrible! He's excited about seeing his wife, and you want to tease him about it.

Eris: Oh don't be so sensitive. We all plan on mocking him for this.

Elisa: See?

Giselle: You were the one who was practically melting when you read that Hades gave Persephone a real smile.

Elisa: What? It was romantic?

Eris: You're as pathetic as her!

[Persephone]

No, this fic won't be just them writing 20 days, 19 days, 18 days etc to each other. Please. XD They'll get more creative.

"But...the Underworld is so..."

"Please?"

"But I..."

"Nothing'll happen. I made sure of that yesterday. Now go give this to Hades..."

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Paperwork, ugh. Kill me now, someone. Pretty please? was Hades' sarcastic thought as he sat hunched over the (black) desk in his office, scribbling on papyrus, endless piles of papyrus.

It took almost every ounce of willpower not to burn all these stupid little papers (so to speak) and just leave the gods-damned room. But, hey, the work needed to be done, right?

Hades couldn't help jealously thinking that up on Olympus all those gods were lounging around absentmindedly making war and love and wine and et cetera...

And here he was, doing paperwork, stuffed up in what was basically a giant hellhole..

"And they wonder why I try to take over Olympus," Hades muttered, throwing his quill in the corner and leaning back, orange and flaming mad.

"I don't mean to interrupt your conversation with yourself, Your Flamefulness, but someone's here to see you."

Hades turned with a scowl towards Panic, twisting his tail nervously in the doorway.

"Well," he snapped "Send 'im in, my gods, I don't have all freaking day!"

Panic nodded nervously, turned and ran out the door. After a moment, Hades' guest entered.

"....the hell?!" Hades said, blinking.

The nymph standing in the doorway shrunk back as he spoke, one (violet tinted) hand clinging to a scroll, the other hand clutching the hem of her (purple) dress. The nymph stared up at Hades with terrified lavender eyes.

"So what would a nymph be doing in the Underworld?" Hades wondered dryly aloud, one finger tapping slowly and cynically (if that was possible) against his chin.

Said nymph took a step towards him, a step back, like she had reconsidered, then went fowards again, practically shaking. She held out the scroll to Hades, her hand trembling.

"It's f.....from Lady Persephone."

"Figures," said Hades, swiping the scroll out of her hands and unrolling it in one motion. The nymph quickly stepped back and pressed herself against the wall.

19 days

Hades grinned, and set the scroll on his desk, turning to the nymph as an afterthought.

"You can go now," he said, waving his hand for her to leave.

She nodded (grateful), and darted out of the room.

Hades grinned at the scroll again, then went back to filling out his paperwork.

He'd have something better for Seph tommorow.

[The Beast]

Pain: *slaps retreating Nymphs butt* ...you should come here more often...y'know...gets kinda...uh ...lonely

Panic: *throws disdainful look at Pain* grossssss, when did you turn into such a perv?

Pain: when that nymph *wiggles eyebrows* walked into the room....*wolf whistles*

Panic: ugh...

Me: well after that insightful conversation *pushes Imps behind self* I like this, nice to see Hades has a tender side haha can't wiat for teh next bit...*is curious to know just how the notes will turn out*

Scar: yes yes...I too am rather curious to see how this..as you put it so bluntly...turns out. Pray tell me how you expect me to regard him as a villain, after hearing this...charming story...*fangy grin*

Me: your so bloody sadistic...

Scar: Naturally...

[Hades]

Persephone: DO NOT MOLEST MY NYMPHS, THANKYOUVERYMUCH!!

"Are you kidding with this?!"

"No, I'm not, for the fifteenth time, thank you. Now do ya get it, or do you need me to go over it again--"

"I got it. Ugh, you're out of your mind, ya know that?"

"I'm well aware. Now go scurry off and do what I showed you for your mom..."

"Whatever."

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"How do you live there for half the year?" questioned the purple-obsessed nymph who had been sent to the Underworld the day before. She was lying on her stomach on Persephone's bed; the goddess of spring was much more civil to her workers then Hades was.

"I manage, Ianthe" Persephone answered, also lying on her stomach, but for a different reason--a pomegranate had rolled under her bed, and she was on the floor, trying to get it out.

"But it's so...big...and...and...scary...aand Hades is so...creepy...and...mean...and...old...and--"

"--and my husband," Persephone interrupted, her arm up to her shoulder on the bed.

Ianthe blushed dark purple. "I...I know, Seph, but I'm just saying, how do you--"

"You get used to it. And to him." Her hand closed around the fruit and she pulled it out from underneath her bed, brushing off dust and then chucking it into a garbage pail. She smiled up at her companion--they had been together since before Hades had kidnapped her, of course then Ianthe had been a little toddler, who talked with a bit of an accent. Now she was an adult, or close to it anyway. Nymphs grew slowly.

Persephone stood up and as she was doing so, a knock came from the door.

Persephone whirled around. In a few strides she had reached the door.

Macaria scowled at her mother as the door swung open.

"You look happy," remarked Persephone with a smirk, folding her arms.

"Hah hah. You're so funny," said Macaria bitterly, making a face at Persephone.

"Hm. So do you have anything for me?" She smirked.

"Yes," she spat the word out like it tasted bad, "Dad spent all freaking morning teaching this to me. He's gone out of his mind, I swear."

Persephone hid a grin as Macaria thought for a second, then twisted her wrists around in a complicated gesture.

Persephone's lips parted in a tiny 'o' as she stared at Hades' present for her:


[Maci's hands of course. ^^ drawn by me.]

Persephone smiled, clasping her hands together in pleasure as the image in fire shimmered and vanished between Macaria's hands. "So sweet."

Ianthe, looking on, raised a skeptical eyebrow. 'Weird' was more like it.

Macaria apparently thought the same thing. "Your husband," she said, furiously, coming close to flaring, "is out of his mind. He literally spent all morning teaching this to me."

"Well, I think it's sweet," purred Persephone.

"Whatever. To each his--her--own and whatnot." She jabbed a finger downwards, speaking now to Hades (and also to Seph), "Next time, I'm making him pay me for coming up here."

"Real nice, Maci."

"Well, I don't like being forced to run...errands for him. Excuuuuse me." Macaria placed a hand on her chest dramatically. "I have a life, ya know."

"But you live in the Underworld," Ianthe couldn't help pointing out.

Macaria glared at her and was about to snap something, but Persephone put her hands on ehr shoulders and steered her out the door, instructing, "Maci, please, let's not murder my nymphs, thank you."

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Macaria.

"Tell Hades I said thank you and to expect something from me tommorow....okay?"

Macaria shrugged, hands on her hips. "Fine. But don't make me conjure some sort of...flowery thing for him, okay? I've learned enough for the time being."

She vanished, leaving Persephone to her thoughts about what to do for him tommorow...

[Persephone]

"Okay, don't crush the petals. Don't bend the stem. Be very, very, careful, okay?"

"Okay."

"And make sure he sees the design, okay?"

"Okay."

"And make sure he understands the design."

"Got it."
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He forced the quill to write a few more symbols on the papyrus and then threw it down on the desk in exasperation, his hands massaging his temples.

"Explain to me why there's so much paperwork to be done all of a sudden," Hades flatly demanded of his imps, "I mean, it's Saturday. Can't I catch a break even then?!"

Pain shrugged as Panic tilted his head and tried to come up with an answer. "I think its just 'cuz...with Persephone leaving...er, coming back...Demeter just gets...."

"Pissy," said Hades, scowling at the stack of papyrus on his desk.

"Er..." said Panic.

"Right," said Pain, picking up where Panic left off, "Maybe she just starts killing mortals with famine to give you more paperwork to, like, bug ya, ya know?"

He slumped in his seat, flaming orange.

"That's my big sis for ya," he said sarcastically, "I just love her to bits. Oy vey...."

"Uh, excuse me?"

Hades turned his angry gaze to the slender figure in the doorway. It was the same nymph from yesterday, he recalled vaguely, The purple girl.

"Ciao, babe," he said, being hosipitible enough to give her a fanged smirk (she shivered), "Ya got something for me?"

"From Persephone," said Ianthe, trembling involuntarily again, "Y-yes."

Pain and Panic disappeared in puffs of smoke, knowing they'd get zapped for intruding on his 'personal life' if they stayed much longer.

He paid no attention to the pair and focused instead on his wife's nymph. After a second of silence, he slowly asked her in a poisonous tone, "Well....can I have it?"

She paled. "Oh! Yes. Yes, o-of course. M-my apologies, sir..."

Ianthe scrambled over to him desperately, taking her hand out from behind her back and holding out a flower to Hades, which he took hesistantly.

I'm giving flowers to the Lord of the Dead, Ianthe thought, wincing inwardly, Oo, if my friends found out...

Hades tilted his head at Persephone's present. The little thing was black, right down to the stem and leaves. On four of the petals, random designs were imprinted in bright blue.

"Lovely," he remarked with a sarcastic smirk, "Heh, I went to all this trouble yesterday teaching my brat of a daughter this whole complicated trick-thing for Seph and her reply present is....." He gestured with his other hand towards the flower, smirk still present on his face, "a....a daisy. Not that I don't appreciate it...and she broke the whole numbers theme, too--"

Ianthe allowed herself a giggle, cutting Hades off, who turned and shot an annoyed glare at her (no-one was supposed to interrupt his ranting). He would have zapped her, but she stood on her toes and pointed with a thin violet finger to the flower petals.

"She told me to tell you to look carefully at the design on the petals."

Hades raised an eyebrow, not liking being issued orders from a nymph, but he obeyed and studied the random designs on the flower petals.

All of a sudden his eyes widened in realization.


[drawn by me...if you can't make out what design is, it's 17 and then a pair of hearts. ^^]

Hades' smirk became suddenly much more sincere.

"Creative," he remarked, his eyes lighting up as he stared at his wife's return gift.

After a moment, he waved his hand at the door, still focused on the flower. "Mkay, babe, you can scurry off and....do whatever it is nymphs do."

Ianthe nodded, and ran out again.

For the second time, Hades began to think about what he could do for her tommorow. 'Least on Sunday he'd have so much less work to do....

[Hades]

"So, do any of you yutzes know how to draw? You?..........yes, you, the one with the horns....okay, great, now get the hell over here. Maci, standby, I'm gonna need ya when this guy's done."

"Yay."

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"Seph, I think I'm getting used to the Underworld," Ianthe said, her chin in her hands as she lay on her stomach on Persephone's bed.

"You've only been there twice," Persephone looked up from her suitcase and grinned at her.

"I know. But it's suddenly....less scary, and I'm not panicking at the thought of going there tommorow."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is! I'm not supposed to get used to the Underworld. I'm a nymph! I need...Earth and flowers and sunlight and rivers and all sorts of happy things, not the depressing-ness that the Underworld is."

Persphone looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

Ianthe shot her an apologetic look. "I know it's your home and all, but it's not supposed to be my thing."

Persephone shrugged. "Hey, if it only took you two days to get used to it, then it's definately your thing. It took me, like, two months to get used to the Underworld."

"Yeesh," said Ianthe.

Persephone rose from the floor and went over to her dresser, where there was a little black box. She opened the box with a mere wave of her hand and removed it's contents - a little black skull-shaped ring.

"What's that?" Ianthe tilted her head.

"My wedding ring," Persephone answered simply, tucking the ring into a pocket of her suitcase, "You know my mother doesn't let me wear it during spring and summer."

"She's such a pleasure," commented Macaria, appearing in the middle of the room in a curl of smoke.

Persephone gave her daughter a dry smirk. "Don't I know it. You're looking at the goddess who spent hundreds of years with her, okay, I know how pleasant she is." She grimaced.

Maci hid a shudder. "I'm so lucky I have parents who don't give a damn," she muttered, then focused back on Persephone, "So. I have somethin for ya."

"I figured as much." She grinned. "16 days, huh? My how time flies..."

Macaria held out a pair of scrolls.

She took both, unrolled one and set the other on her bed so that she could look at the first one.

Her mouth fell open.

The scroll was a picture of her. It looked just like her, too, almost like you could...reach out and connect with real skin, if, however, the picture wasn't in charcoal and black and white. In her picture-image's hand was a small scroll which was unrolled to reveal the printed words, '16 DAYS'.

Persephone smiled, set the scroll down, and unrolled the other. This one was just words, written by Hades himself:

Drawn by...by some monster guy in the Underworld, I dunno. You know I have zero artistic ability, so all credits go to.....that guy. Whoever the hell he is.

Happy 16th day mark....

"Well, I know what I'm giving him tommorow," Persephone said aloud, "Ianthe, do any of the nymphs know how to draw?"

"Isn't that copying?" Macaria said, with a smirk.

Persephone gave her a look, but she too was smirking. "Whatever. So let him complain of unoriginality. See if I care."

Macaria shrugged, muttering under her breath, "Fine, he's your husband..."

"I thought you said you were gonna make him pay you," said Ianthe.

Maci rolled her eyes. "He refused. Said just because he was the god of wealth it didn't mean he had unlimited riches."

"He does," said Persephone.

"Oh, I know. It was just an excuse. He just likes forcing teenagers to become messenger slaves." She gave Hades a dirty look, her eyes focused on the ground.

Persephone rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I have to go. I'll see you...the day after tommorow. Maybe. If he starts paying me." Maci waved and then poofed away.

"She's a real pleasure, too," Ianthe said.

Persephone looked at her.

Ianthe grinned and shrugged.

The goddess of spring/Queen of the Underworld picked up both scrolls and set them on top of a table in the kitchen, along with the other scroll he had given her.

Now to just find a nymph who could draw...

[Persephone]

"Thank you so much for this, Admete....Ianthe...you know what to--"

"I know."

"Okay, great. Bring this to Hades, please?"

"Sure thing."

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Monday. Ugh.


He had had his moments of peace yesterday. Moments of peace in between the constant pestering of Pain, Panic, and Macaria.

Those moments of pece had only each been about 10 seconds long, and now he was back to routine, back to work, back to paperwork.

"I love it," he said cynically aloud, "Everyone, everyday, they all say to me, 'oh, Hades, you're so lucky, you get this whole kingdom to yourself, you're stinking rich, boy, do you have the life,' n' they forget to mention the tiny fact that it's dark, dank, dreary, dismal, and every freaking day I am stuck in paperwork."

He fumed silently for about 3 seconds, then snarled aloud. "And whose brilliant idea was it to include paperwork with every soul that comes in, huh? Who the hell cares? Why the hell is that nessecary?!"

"To keep track of them, sir," said Pain.

"Who cares?!" he exploded, "I sure as hell don't!"

The two imps squeaked and cringed, arms over their heads in a futile effort to protect themselves. It didn't work. They both became part of the wall as Hades zapped them furiously.

"A-am I interrupting?" said Ianthe rather nervously, standing in the doorway holding a scroll.

"Not at all," Hades' personality switched almost instantly as she made herself known. He flashed her a fanged smile that looked...almost reptilian.

"You can come on in, dollface," he said absentmindedly, the feather pen in his hand going up in flames.

Ianthe obeyed, and scurried in as Pain and Panic attempted to peel themselves off the wall.

"From Persephone," she said, placing the scroll on his desk, and then scrambling back.

Hades unrolled it, and another smaller scroll fell out before he could see what was on the main one.

He unrolled and read the small scroll first.

Unlike some people, I know the names of my workers.

Drawn by Okyrhoe, because as you know, I have no artistic ability either.

Happy 15th day mark.

Hades rolled his eyes at the scroll then unrolled the other, his eyes widening and then he smirked.

Just like the picture he had made that...monster guy draw, this one was a charcoal drawing of him. In his charcoal hand, a charcoal flame hovered, and if you looked very carefully, you could see the words '15 days' etched in the flame.

"She copied me," he complained lightly, still smirking, and he set the scrolls down by his flower and his first scroll.

Now what to give her back tommorow?

Definately a note telling her not to copy him anymore. He smirked teasingly at an invisible Persephone at the thought.

"Can I go?" questioned Ianthe.

"Yeah, get outta here. Tell Seph I said not to copy me," he smirked again.

Ianthe allowed herself a giggle, then turned obediantly and ran out the door.

[Hades]

"How did you find the time to do this?! I thought you were 'buried in paperwork.'"

"I am. I make time."

"What the hell does that mean?!"

"Whatever, forget that. You just...scurry off and give this to mommy okay?"

"I hate you."

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"Well, mother, the days are ticking by," said Persephone. Her violet eyes were fixed on Demeter who was dusting off.....dust in the corners of the ceiling.

"Don't remind me," Demeter said, her voice flat. She didn't turn.

"I mean...it was only...a few days ago that it was 20 days to go, and now look!" She waved her hand excitedly. "Only 14 days."

"I said, don't remind me."

"Well, I'm just saying."

"Well, don't."

"Am I interrupting an epic battle between you and Demeter? I'm sorry, I'll step out." Macaria smirked as she appeared in the cottage. Demeter turned finally, scowled sarcastically at Maci, and then vanished.

"I take it she doesn't like me that much." Macaria glared at the spot where Demeter had been.

"It's not that she doesn't like you, she just doesn't like Hades."

"And that includes his 'spawn?'"

"Macaria."

"I'm quoting her."

"Macaria."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever. Alright, here..." She held out her fist and opened it.

In the center on her palm was a golfball sized (I know they didn't have golfballs in Ancient Greece. Deal with it.) gem. Enscribed on it's surface was a big 14.

Persephone grinned and picked it up, turning it over and then over again in her hands. "What is it?"

"Sapphire? I think?" said Macaria, tilting her head and stare at the jewel. She shook her head, rolled her eyes, and folded her arms. "It's unbelievable. He can afford to make this thing, but he can't bear to spare a few drachmas for my services. I'm not doing this willingly, ya know. It's the least he can do."

"I'll tell him to tommorow," said Persephone dryly, "I'll send a note."

Maci's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah....he told me to give this to you, too." She handed her a scroll.

Persephone unrolled it curiously, blinked, then smirked at it.

Don't copy me, Seph.

"Jerk," she said, but she was grinning.

"Hey, I told ya, didn't I?" Maci grinned herself. "Be more original tommorow."

"I'll sure try," Persephone said sarcastically.

"Excellent." Maci gave her a sarcastic thumbs up right back, then turned to walk out the door. She turned back suddenly."And don't forget to tell him to pay me." And then she went POOF.

Persephone smirked at her jewel and her scroll, and then picked up the duster and resumed Demeter's abandoned work.

[Persephone]

"Please, remember to take this to him? I have to leave for the temple in a few minutes."

"The temple?"

"Demeter's making me go. She says I have to tie off loose ends before I go. I'll be there tommorow, too. Tell Hades that, okay?"

"Okay. Sure."

"Thanks, Ianthe."

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"Wow. No paperwork. Shocker," said Macaria, looking down at her father, who was seated with a scowl at his desk.

"I'm on break today," was his sarcastic reply, "Now get the hell off my desk."

She made a face at him and slid off the surface of the desk, purposely knocking over a stack of papyrus as she went. Macaria smirked. "Whoops! My bad."

Hades got up from his chair and practically snarled at her, flaring orange. She only flared right back.

"Um..." said Ianthe, nervously. She was a nymph, after all. Flowers and plants burned in fire.

The two pyromaniacal gods extinguished silmultanously and whirled around to face her.

"Ciao," said Macaria.

"Hi," said Ianthe.

Hades glared at Maci, glided past her, and went to the purple nymph, holding his open palm in front of her. "So do you have something for me?"

"Give him the scroll first," said Macaria from behind him.

Ianthe blinked and obeyed.

Hades unrolled it immediantly.

Copying would be sending you a scroll of me, which I didn't do. I was simply....improving.

And pay your daughter, cheapskate. You're the god of wealth. You have no excuse.

Macaria, reading over Hades' shoulder, snickered.

Hades read it, snickered practically internally, and then sent a scowl flying in Maci's direction.

"I'm not paying you," he sneered, "You don't deserve it...what am I payin' ya for, throwing scrolls off my desk?" He gestured towards the mess of papyrus scattered on the floor.

Maci scowled. "That was an accident."

A drachma, gold and shiny, appeared in his palm, and he looked at it for a second, before throwing it--hard--into the wall. "That was an accident, too," he said sarcastically, and then, ignoring Maci's murderous glare, turned back to Ianthe.

"Okay, purple girl. What else did she get for me?"

Ianthe opened her closed hand and dropped something hard and sparkly and shiny in his palm.

Hades gaped.

She had copied him again.

Macaria smirked, very much amused by this. In his palm was a golfball sized green gem, with a big 13 on it's surface.

"Where....how did she even get ahold of this?" Hades spoke, mostly to himself, an amused grin on his face.

"And I told her not to copy me," he mock-frowned, then returned to his desk, setting the rock gently next to his scrolls and such. As an afterthought, he bent, pushed the scrolls on the floor into a pile, returned it to his desk, and then set the rock on top of it.

"Makes a hell of a paperweight," he remarked and Macaria rolled her eyes. Ianthe, shaking her head to herself at their behavior, turned and left.

[~Elisa Maza~]

This is just too cute.... Hades, your rep is out the window.

[Persephone]

"Okay, seriously, dad? I'm not doing anything unless you pay me."

"....gods, are you annoying. Fine. What do you want?"

"Three drachmas."

"How 'bout two and you don't have to work for a week after Seph comes back."

"Fine."

"Wonderful."

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"Okay, mom? There is nothing for me to be doing here. Can I just leave already?"

Demeter glared at her daughter. "I told you, loose ends have to be tied, so we're going to have to be here for the next few days."

"There are no ends to tie, can I leave?" Persephone finally took her chin out of her hand and sat up, her arms crossed indignantly.

"It's your duty as a goddess to--"

"Oh, come on," Persephone sneered, rolling her eyes and sinking back into a slouch.

Demeter looked on, shaking her head. "He's such an influence on you," she scowled, and Persephone froze in place. Then she whipped around to glare at Demeter, leaning far over the edge of her throne in her temple in order to grasp her mother tighly by the arm.

"Everybody thinks that, oh, fall is coming, poor Persephone, gets shoved back down into her hellhole that was forced on her, stuck with that monster Hades for half the year, the poor little girl," she hissed furiously, "No, but, they've got it reversed, the only hellhole is here on Earth and the only monster I'm stuck for half the year with is you." Demeter blinked and Persephone glared, letting go of her with a push. She stood up and stormed to the door.

"Persephone, get back here," Demeter ordered evenly.

"No. There's nothing for me to do here, I'm bored, I don't like being near you for long periods of time, and Macaria's probably waiting for me at my house." She wiggled her fingers in a goodbye and then poofed away, her voice ringing out from the spot where she had just been, "Au revoir!"

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Arriving in a span of three seconds at her little cottage, Persephone wasn't surprised to see Macaria perched on her bed when she opened the door.

"So where were you?" the teenage goddess asked, sliding upwards to move to a more upright position rather then the sprawled one she had been in.

"Demeter made me go to my temple," Persephone sighed, the bitterness leaking out from her words, "I was stuck there yesterday, too. It's just hellish, trust me."

Macaria shrugged. "I'll take your word for it."

"You're so lucky you don't have a temple. I share one with my mother, but still..."

"No-one wants to worship the princess of the Underworld unless they're a creepy goth," Macaria snickered.

Persephone raised an eyebrow, leaning against her dresser. "Is it just me or are you a lot more mellow? I mean...where's the attitude?"

Maci smirked triumphantly. "Oh, he paid me, finally." Two drachmas appeared in her palm and she showed them to Persephone. "See? And I don't have to do my 'goddess of a blessed afterlife' duties for a week after you come."

She was silent. "He's a cheapskate," Persephone said flatly.

"I know, but it's better then nothing, right?"

"Right. Now....speaking of nothing..." She spread her hands and flashed her empty palms to Macaria, who made the connection and held out her other closed hand.

"Okay, cup your hands together," she instructed, and Persephone did as she was told.

Into her hand spilled a number of different colored tiny jewels.

"Ooh," said Persephone, her eyes wide.

Macaria studied her fingernails. "He said to count them."

She spilled them onto the dresser and counted swiftly.

12.

There were 12.

She smirked.

"Oh, and, this is for you, too," Macaria remembered suddenly, handing her a (slightly) charred scroll.

Persephone opened it, her fingers playing with a little blue gem as she read.

I told you not to copy me, didn't I? What, don't you listen to instructions?!

Sorry 'bout the burned parts. Incident with Pain and Panic. See, nothing changes after you leave. It's a real pleasure.

Happy 12th day mark.

Persephone giggled, already knowing what to give him tommorow. Macaria rolled her eyes and poofed away....

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[~Elisa Maza~]

*Wild cheers from my characters (even Eris) as Seph tells Demeter off*

Great chapter love, though I'm really curious about the incident with the imps Hades was talking about. This didn't have anything to do with the Sailor Saturn doodle, did it?

[Hades]

Maaaaayyyybeeee....hehe, it's for your imagination. >:}

".....Persephone...isn't this....the same thing that he gave you yesterd--"

"Of course not. Now go give this to him."

"...right. Okay."

"And remember to give him the scroll, too."

"Okey dokey."

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"If yesterday you couldn't go on my desk, then what makes you think that today you can?"

Macaria gave him a look. "I'm not stupid. I know I'm not supposed to."

Hades glared at her, and stood up. He was, even when she was on the desk, taller then her. "Then why the hell are you on it?"

She smirked impishly. "I like annoying you."

Hades flared up.

Macaria rolled her eyes and slid off the side of his desk, folding her arms when she hit floor.

"Brat," Hades muttered, shoving papers into a pile that had been disturbed by Macaria.

"That's very nice of you," she said sarcastically, moving to lean against the wall.

"Whatever."

She was silent for a moment (something rare for both of them) and then she spoke, casually, "So. Am I eligible for a raise yet?"

Teenagers.

"Oh, please," hades sneered, turning in his desk chair and setting his pen down, "Give me a break."

Macaria flared and scowled. "And why not?"

Hades glared at her, raising an eyebrow. "If I enlighten you, it'd take all day."

"Oh, come on..."

He smirked dryly at her. "Tough luck, huh?"

Macaria fumed. "Shut up." She stormed out of the room, pushing past an oncoming nymph.

"Ciao, purple girl," Hades said, folding his hands.

One of Ianthe's hands was in a fist, and she walked into the room without hesitation, a leap from the days before... "Here. Be ready to catch them if they fall."

Hades raised an eyebrow. Ianthe opened her hand and spilled out the contents on his desk.

Hades stared, then narrowed his eyes and smirked teasingly to himself.

"So, lemme get this straight. I tell her not to copy me. Twice. I send her 12 lil' gems as a present...she sends me 11 little gems back...and not only that...it's the exact same gems with one missing. Is that right?"

He moved a pair of green gems around absentmindedly with his finger.

Ianthe hid a smile, then handed him the scroll.

Copying, me?

Never.

Happy 11th day mark.

"Oh, she's hilarious," he said dryly, smirking to himself despite his words.

"She'd better not copy me tommorow," he mused after a second, then turned to the nymph. "Purple girl. You can shoo now. Toodles."

Ianthe grinned, nodded, and turned and left.

[~Elisa Maza~]

I love how even Ianthe is starting to like Hades. So cute!