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The changes did not cease. Everything she touched it seemed to garner more life. Hades was patient with his new wife, to both understand her newfound abilities and to adjust himself to having a queen rule alongside him.
He slowly gave her tasks to test her.
One morning, over breakfast she spoke at length of missing both her childhood home and meeting new customers. Hades smirked. He had slowly been considering a proposition for his new companion. He reached his hand out over the table and tried to soften his features to be soothing.
Persephone seeing this placed her warm hand in his cold ones. Her lips now held rosebud sheen of health.
“I’m very proud of how well you have adapted to this change in situation. I’m not sorry for inflicting this upon you, but it was incorrect.”
“Hades, it’s—”
“I don’t want to talk about that right now. I have other responsibilities before we address the opinions of others. Currently, I want you to tell me whether this shop is acceptable to you.”
“I love it. Days are languorous, one feeds into the next. I love meeting new souls every day. Their stories are so lovely to hear. It’s like our own little world here.”
“Since you have adjusted fully, I have decided to give you more administration in the running. Maybe have Maximilian oversee. He’s been itching to return to more—” Max reached his head up and stole a slice of bacon from his master’s place. Hades started to scratch his head and he leaned into the touch, purring deeply.
Max opened his eyes. “Let’s phrase it. Return to my nocturnal activities. My queen, I am a humble servant of your always, but I am ill-suited for the natural occupation of yours.” Max wiggled out of Hades embrace and levitated all the silverware off the table.
Hades excused himself citing some skirmish in the borderlands to resolve and that he would be back in time for dinner. Persephone and Max tidied up together before heading out to the flower shop.
Persephone checked the dirt inside the flower pots and saw the dirt inside was really dry and course. She wondered where the soil was coming from and made a mental note of it to check with Hades about the shipments. She remembered the ground outside was grassy. It was strangely one of the only places that had greenery.
She took a spade from beside the door and an empty urn. She found a barren area of land and started digging. As she dug she felt the sprouts of grass curling through her fingers. It was like receiving a warm hug from the land. The land here was so strangely quiet.
There was a loud grinding sound that piqued her senses. The sound grew louder and louder. Persephone turned in the direction of the sound and saw a giant monster doberman with three heads bounding towards her. Its eyes were bloodshot rabid as slobber rolled out of his mouth. There was something struggling in his mouth
Persephone ran towards the hound and punched the top of his mouth to give the creature inside to room to wiggle out. The hound whined loudly and darted away from her in the opposite direction.
The was a small quivering creature on the ground covered in drool. Persephone rushed towards it immediately finding it was still alive. She used a handkerchief to clean the being off. There was a rock with a face carved in that was supported by a shadow wisp body. The limbs were ghastly thin like a malnourished child.
“I’ve woken up in the arms of an angel.” The sockets in the rock moved to look up at Persephone. The mouth curled up into a cute smile. “I’m here now.” His head rolled in her arm to upright itself. Spittle dripped off of his body onto the course grass.
“Who are you? What are you? I’ve never seen anything like you before.”
“I? I have a name they call me in the Mines of the Asphodel Fields. It is of the rock of which I am hewn, Roxas.”
“Roxas.” Persephone felt a strange numbness where Roxas had been touching her. There was a chill that was spreading through her arm. She smiled warmly at the little rock creature.
He was wringing his hands and standing looking at the ground.
“Now that you’re free. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Roxas raked the dirt in the bucket Persephone had collected it in with his hands. “Is the the flower shop?”
“Yes, I’m the new management.”
“You? Maybe you’d know then of the fabled cloud of return.”
“I’ve barely been here a week so I’m not as familiar with inventory as I would like to be. What is it and why do you need it?”
“Oh well I’m not the most moral man here as I am a rock man so I was send to Asphodel Meadows because I left my wife for another woman. The other woman actually isn’t here yet so I’m quite lonesome. I don’t like mining. I hate mining rocks I don’t understand.”
“Oh my. I’ve never meet a rock person before. You’re very cute.”
The rock’s face indented inward to where his cheeks should have been and Persephone slowly understood that this was his way of blushing. She started to laugh and he uttered a bone chilling cackle that startled her.
Max came bounding out of the shop to see what the commotion was all about. He snarled loudly before headbutting the creature into the river. Persephone was so shocked she froze.
“No, what are you doing? Are you crazy?”
Max bundled her into his arms and bounded into the shop. The bell on the door jangled loudly as he shut it, flipping the sign to closed before hurling her on to the backroom couch. Persephone righted herself in a flurry. She felt hot with anger.
Max was busy trying to find something. The backroom was stocked with rickety shelves stocked with bottles with faded scraps of parchment. Max checked the labels before flinging it over his shoulder. His forked tail caught it before replacing it back on the shelf, also readjusting what he had disturbed in his frenzy. Finally the werecat sniffled the air and dove behind the shelving. A cloud of dust gathered as Max emerged triumphant with a tattered cardboard box.
But as he was doing this he dropped into a deep bow. The box was levitated into a white outstretched hand. The lord of the underworld stepped out of the shadows.
“Leave us.”
Max retreated with his head down.
Persephone sat upright and looked down. One of her arms was pitch black. Her nails looked rotting. Her hands shook as Hades sat next to her. He took the blackened hand and uncorked the bottle that had been in the cardboard box. Persephone bit her lip as the burning liquid stung her hand. It hurt, but as the golden drops dribbled onto her hand, the color receded and her arm resumed it’s normal appearance.
Amazed Persephone touched her healthy arm. She turned to Hades who was levitating the box back to it’s original place. His breathing was erratic. Persephone was uncertain what emotion he was conveying.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Hades cut her off.
“Don’t say anything.”
Persephone broke. “I don’t even know what I did wrong. How was I supposed to know touching a person would lead to this. I don’t understand why this happened to me. I don’t understand any of the life here. There’s nothing familiar about any of this.”
Hades rubbed her back in soothing circles. “I’m not angry at you. I brought you here. It’s my fault that you didn’t know. Demeter wanted you to be a flower in a glass here. Here you are free. This freedom is not something you understand.”
Persephone leaned into his shoulder. “I don’t want riddles. I’ve always been strong enough to adapt to new things. I thought you wanted me to be more proactive. Explain to me what just happened.”
“Cerberos attacks souls who try to leave the Underworld. I suspect that’s why he had that person in his mouth. He was trying to return him to his deigned area.”
“Why was I blighted when I touched him?”
“A person like that soul isn’t fully corporal. His body is on loan from me to complete his task, otherwise he would just melt into a stone. His soul is inhabiting that form. It’s borrowed. It’s like a well with poisoned water that’s why he and his kind are confined to the Asphodel Meadows Mines. Once the Rockmen get out they start spilling bits of themselves onto other people. His soul was melting into yours. The effects can put you completely into a coma. It’s very dangerous for anyone, especially now since you’re my queen.”
Persephone touched her arm. “That’s terrible. Did you create them?”
Hades hung his head. “I run this realm, but I don’t control the machinery that’s always been here. He was made long before I ever ruled. The rockmen mine the ore that made this structure. They’re a vital part of the building of this kingdom.”
Persephone considered this. She softly placed her hands on top of Hades. “Thank you for helping me understand. But I also think rockmen should be able to come to the store. It should be open to all souls.”
“They’re vile. Some of the worst sins are committed by that low folk.”
“I know, but I want also to know more about this world now that it’s mine. I need to explore myself.”
“That’s dangerous.” Hades clenched his fists.
“I’ll take Max and I’ll be careful.”
Hades reluctantly agreed to let Persephone explore the Asphodel Meadows. But he maintained several conditions: First, that she would be glamoured with a cloak that would repel all blights and disillusionments. This same cloak would also make her invisible. Second, was that Persephone could only observe and not get involved in any danger. Third, was Max would accompany her.
Persephone other than the cloak had no intention of being faithful to his conditions. The cloak billowed around her as she set out for the Meadow. She was on a cliff overlooking the mining operations. Max appeared in a whirl of grey smoke. His fork tail shot around her before his head materialized in her hand. She scratched him behind the ear.
“Why are you so happy Max?”
Max purred into her hand. “This, your majesty in all the hours of lugging flowers and saving you is what I love most. The master and I do this often. Never did I imagine that my lady also had a perchance to don a hood.”
“We aren’t going into battle.”
“But, you are going to figure out what happened and why. The master will be watching you with much interest. He choose you for your sweetness. Never did he imagine you would have more. I’m happy to see who I serve be also.”
“You’re such a strange cat.”
“I have a full underbelly now. I can taste what I eat. I can even perform most bodily functions. This is all due to you.”
Persephone smiled. “I have no idea what I’m doing. I just want to try.” She wrapped the cape around herself and disappeared from view.
The cape proved useful in assessing the workings. Most workers arrived and worked in lines so Persephone could wander around them with ease. She quickly figured out the area was arranged in a spiral with the nucleus being where the main hub of activity radiated. As one grew further and further from the nucleus the activity grew less. She was interested first in locating Roxas. Max was a slight weight on her shoulders, but after some time of resting he left.
Persephone had finally entered the main hub square with the shops and administration when he returned.
“I found the rocky ringleader,” Max whispered huskily.
“I’m looking for Roxas.”
“Oh, he doesn’t know anything.”
“I don’t care. I think that he was—”
“My lady, take the next left and enter into the third tunnel. You’ll find him working in the maw of the cave.”
Persephone nodded and felt the weight shift as Max dissolved again. She quickened her step. Occasionally she would feel Max’s forked tail adjust her so she wouldn’t be hit by swinging beams of jumping rockmen.
The faces were always heavy set and serious as they focused on their busy work.
“Hey hey hey get that beam over her Groomish.”
“Stop that falling rock.”
“The ore is filled up here rockmen!!”
Persephone spotted Roxas and sprinted over to him. He was leaning on a pickaxe. He wiped his granite forehead with a dirty handkerchief. Persephone felt Max’s tail wind around her abdomen.
“What do you think you—”
Persephone was thrown back when she was hit with a rush of air—the gigantic three headed hound Cerberos.
All around her the rockman scattered. Their grinding screams gave Persephone a splitting headache. She covered her ears quickly. Max curled his body around her as the sheer rock face slid down in an avalanche of ore carts and picks. Persephone’s hood slid down. As her cloak’s charm broke so did Max. Both of them appeared simultaneously.
The heads tore at the black body tearing it as it reformed. Roxas’s scream was shrill as the carnivore’s teeth sunk into him. Persephone was conflicted and confused. They weren’t at the gates, they were inside the mine itself. What had caused the dog to act as such?
Spittle splattered everywhere and like acid melted whatever rock it touched.
Persephone threw her hood back on as the liquid sprayed at her. Max hid behind her.
“Max?”
“My lady, at this distance, you are safe.”
“Is there anything we can do? Why is he reacting like this? This is wrong. Something is—”
Persephone made a split decision. She lowered her hood. Max materialized and she handed him the cloak.
“My lady?”
“Maximilian I order you to not interfere.”
“My lady, please”
Persephone ignored him as how bow deepened. She’d caught the attention of the rabid hound. Two of the heads turned in her direction. Her long garments billowed around her. She stood stock still as the animal bounded towards her.
Persephone smiled.
The dog dropped Roxas at her feet. Cerberos maintained eye contact with Persephone. Persephone reached her fingers and petted the snouts of all three. Three tongues lolled out to reach her outstretched fingers.
“Thank you Cerberos. I’m sorry you got caught up in this mess. This I’m sure has nothing to do with you. Go back to the gates. I’ll feed you later this isn’t good food.”
The dog barked appreciatively before bounding up and out of the cavern.
Max tapped Persephone’s shoulder and pointed down at Roxas.
“He’s no more.”
Persephone quickly turned and saw the stone that had been the face was glowing. The eyes beamed with a brilliant light and there was a fluid light that emerged. The light grew bright until Persephone could see feathers.
“Roxas?” Persephone said softly.
The dove stretched out his legs one by one before flying to Persephone’s shoulder. The dove cuddled into her neck before flying up and away.
“What did I do?”
“You released him from this form. He cannot leave until his sentence is done, but he may repent instead at the store. This is your change, my queen.”
“But that doesn’t explain why Cerberos attacked him.”
“The main administrator had him dipped in harpies blood.”
“Why?”
“To make more rockmen. The stone that was his face is called a birthstone. Every birthstone can be exchanged with shrouds—the one who bring the souls to hell—for favors. I collected the birthstone to prevent this.”
“There’s a lot more here than what I first thought.”
“The master will make some changes. You should return to the flower shop.”
“I want to study the birthstone and I need access to a library. I need to know more about all of this.”
“That’s fine, you shall have everything as you desire.”
“I like freedom if this is what that is.”