HADES

I was entirely alone, in what seemed to be the basement of the universe, without the sun, the wind, the rain. Nothing. Without light, my dark divine skin, once shining and glowing, became shrivelled and grey.  Thousands of years passed, and I remained trapped in my solitary kingdom, while my brothers Poseidon and Zeus ruled the new world above. I tried to replicate it, building a palace, and creating rivers, but the water turned cursed or to poison or to fire. I wept in despair at each failure. Later, mortals would make poems speaking in hushed tones of Lord Hades, who created the great fiery Acheron in a burst of passionate rage. Alas, the truth is rarely what is seems. 

When I finally came up to Earth, I did not expect to find her, but I did. She was in a field of corn, dancing with the wind amidst the tall, golden stalks. I recognised her immediately, for underneath the delicate features which adorned her face, I could see her innate ferocity, from Demeter. I could barely comprehend her elegance and her grace; I had not seen beauty like hers before. I watched her century after century, until one day she was there, stood behind me. Whether she had always known I was there, I never knew. Looking into her eyes, I was lost. Eros or Fate. I was hers and she was mine. 

We evaded the other gods, fleeing to my realm whenever they drew near. We never stayed long, for while she was enthralled by my parallel creation, I hated it. She would wander the black fields staring in fascination at the scuttling beetles and admiring the red jewelled pomegranates swinging from my trees. I could not see their beauty. They were my failures. My intended ladybirds were ugly beetles and my crisp apples had become these bulbous red spores. However, she thought each one a mysterious new delight. She was my opposite. Tracing my dark fingers softly down her light smooth skin, I felt blissfully at peace; but I always knew our love was not to last. 

Whether it was fate or coincidence, I do not know. When I went to find Persephone, she was sitting underneath a tree, beautiful as ever. I knelt beside her taking her lovely hands, and whispered ‘My love, it’s time’. She shook her head at first, but then saw the dread on my face. We had no choice. Only then did I notice her red-stained fingertips. She saw the fear clouding over me, and opened her mouth, maybe to explain, maybe to apologise. No words came out. She desperately clung to my hands, gazing into my eyes as if she were a wounded animal. What if I was to appear the hunter and she the prey… I heard bellows in the distance. They had arrived. I looked back at the woman who had brought warmth to my cold cold life. I smiled. ‘HADES’ cried Zeus. I let go of her hands.