high-infidelity-series

[high-infidelity-series]

Xolotl seems like one of those students who goes as long as possible without choosing a major because he want’s to learn everything and also nothing lol

Here’s some art my boyfriend made a while ago, I find the idea of Xolotl going to a university personally hilarious because what would his major even be? I don’t know and that’s funny to me for some reason.

Fun fact: Xolotl and Persephone were originally gonna be the same height.

[high-infidelity-series]

Dillyhub is Dead.

At least, that's what it appears to be based on the bugs, lack of customer support response, and rapid decline of the site's stylesheets evidently defaulting to factory settings-

(for anyone unaware, it's not supposed to look like that LMAO it's supposed to look like this-)

Banshriek actually did some extra digging and as it turns out, this site may as well be largely abandoned, even more so than I initially suspected. What he dug up is actually very... interesting, but also incredibly confusing and weird LMAO

(p.s. i checked out that community discord and it's also been dead for years, going through it was actually really depressing because there are a number of comic creator mutuals who i know from other servers who were clearly trying to be a tight-knit community for this platform and the devs... really did seem to abandon them altogether, never returning their calls or answering their questions or responding to their feedback 😔😭)

---------------------------------

Welp, what now?

I do, ultimately, need a secondary mirror for Rekindled. It's convenient and helpful for users who don't have Tumblr accounts, and it's great for me as well because it means I can offer higher-quality uploads without all the restrictive image limits I have to deal with here.

I'm currently looking at NamiComi as the next mirror for Rekindled. I already have an account and the first episode posted there, so I would simply have to pick it up again where it left off. My other option that I can think of off the top of my head is Lemoon.

That said, if anyone has any suggestions for alternative mirrors, I'm open to hearing them. Just be aware that when it comes to mirrors specifically for Rekindled, I wanna fly under the radar. There's a reason I haven't ever posted Rekindled to Webtoons or Tapas, and I don't plan doing so now. So whatever platform I choose, it has to be something discreet. To put it simply, we need a Danny LOL

Sooo yeah! For now, updates outside of Tumblr are obviously paused until I can get another mirror up to date (and that's gonna take at least an afternoon LMAO)

I'll be doing what I can to update DH readers on the situation on that end, but I'm not gonna lie, it's gonna be tricky with the current state of the site. I think my best option is to try and edit / replace the episodes that are currently present with new images that will explain everything and redirect them elsewhere. I mean, I'm already apparently listed as a competitor to Dillyhub, may as well put that power to good use, y'know? 😆 (but that's assuming the edits will even work, that's still TBD).

In the meantime, the next episode will still be posting here on Tumblr when it's finished, hopefully within the next couple weeks or so. By that time I'll probably already have another mirror site set up anyways, buuuut let me know what y'all think about the two choices that I'm erring towards!

Until then, rest in peace, Dillyhub. I don't know if this was an intentional shuttering done quietly in the hopes no one would notice (a failure of course thanks to yours truly) or if their only 2-3 employees just forgot to renew the domain/hosting license for the year, but until the site looks and acts like itself again, I can only assume that the platform has breathed its last. It may not have gone with glory or applause, but its absence will still be felt by this community.

[high-infidelity-series]

Illicit Affairs - Chapter 14

The next morning, her arms are empty again, but Artemis’ bedroom door is open, and she can smell breakfast cooking. She stands up, rubbing the dried tears from her eyes, and quietly walks out the door and toward the kitchen.

Artemis has passed out face-first on the sofa, still dressed in her work clothes from her shift flying the moon. Someone, probably Hermes, has draped a blanket over her, and she snores dully, completely dead to the world.

“It’s been forever since I last saw you cook, Dad,” Hermes says from the kitchen, his voice low to avoid waking Artemis. Both gods have their backs to the living room, so they don’t see Persephone sit quietly in the overstuffed armchair.

“I know, right? Kinda reminds me of the camping trips we took around Greece when you were a boy, just the two of us,” Zeus responds, and Persephone is so, so happy to hear his voice. “I’ve missed those days.”

“Me too; we should do this more often.” Hermes’ phone dings in his back pocket; he glances at the screen, rolls his eyes, and replaces it.

“Hades again?” Zeus asks.

“Yeah.”

“You can only leave your boss on read for so long before he stops being your boss.”

“That’s why I’m not reading the texts. I’m going to fake being asleep for as long as possible.”

“There’s probably a huge influx of shades, now that Hades has been rescued.”

“Sucks to be him, then, I’m not going in on my day off.” Hermes reaches into the top shelf of Artemis’ cupboard to fetch some plates. “I’ve got some serious catching up to do with you, apparently. When are you due?”

“A little more than four months.”

“Any chance I’ll ever get to meet the other parent?”

“…maybe. It’s a complicated situation. Good…wonderful, really, but…complicated.”

“Oh wow. Wonderful, eh?” Zeus’ head ducks in that way it does when he blushes, and Hermes nudges him affectionately with his hip. “I’m glad to hear it. Honestly, you’re a lot happier now than you’ve been for quite a while. It’s good to see.”

Hermes’ phone starts buzzing in a way that Persephone knows means he’s getting a voice call, and his head falls back in exasperation. “Gods, Hades, you’re killing me.” He steps away from Zeus and answers the call. “Y’ello!”

Zeus plates the breakfast and turns to place it on the counter island, narrowing his eyes at Persephone when she approaches. «How much of that did you hear?» he signs behind Hermes’ back.

“No, I’m not getting involved in your personal life, Boss,” her friend goes on, oblivious to her presence.

She smiles brilliantly. «I think it’s wonderful, too,» she signs back, and blows a kiss. Zeus grins, his cheeks flushing prettily.

“Hades, that’s between the two of you. I’m not stepping in here.” Hermes runs his hand through his hair. “Yeah, of course she’s mad! You just fed her the stupid old ‘I have needs’ excuse…of COURSE I was there! Who the hell do you think got the job of wrangling Sisyphus’ soul back to the afterlife?”

All flirtatious sign language ceases, and Persephone and Zeus both stare at Hermes’ turned back.

“Yeah, she’s here at Artie’s and my place. She’s asleep in the next room…”

Hades says something in a caustic tone, and Hermes bristles.

“How…how fucking dare you suggest such a thing?” he hisses into the phone. “That woman worships the ground you fucking walk on, and she would never, never, betray you like that…especially not with me, you fucking idiot! She’s my best friend in this entire fucked-up world, I could never…”

His hand slaps down on the counter as Hades angrily talks over him for a minute.

“Hades…Hades, I am not sleeping with Percie. Why would you even think…oh, okay. So because you cheated on your spouse, you have to think everyone else is secretly running around behind their partners’ backs to feel better about yourself. Got it.”

The voice on the other side of the phone turns pleading, and Hermes shakes his head.

“No, I’m not going to say anything to her about it. I think enough has been said, to be perfectly honest.” A brief, terse statement sounds through the phone, and Hermes barks a laugh. “Fine, you go ahead and do that. You’ll be hearing from my lawyer about unlawful termination. Bye.” He ends the call with an angry jab of his thumb and turns around. “Well, Dad, it looks like I finally need to cash in that attorney favor…oh. Um. Morning, Pers.”

“Morning,” she replies sadly. “Hermes, I’m so sorry…”

He waves her off. “Pssshh, my mom’s been trying to get me to relax a bit for literal eons. I’ve got, like, twenty other jobs, so I’ll be fine.” He takes a plate from Zeus’ hand, dumps an unholy amount of hot sauce in his eggs, sits at one of the counter’s bar stools, and digs in. “He thought you and I are boning.”

“Yeah, I got that,” Persephone says, glancing briefly up at Zeus, who doesn’t meet her eyes.

“The dude is unreal. Like, everyone was rooting for you, in the Underworld, on Olympus…hell, the mortals shipped you two like crazy, even though they’re scared shitless of you. You guys had one of the few relationships in this entire pantheon that could have gone for the long haul, and that…that needle-nosed old canker sore went and fucked it up. And now that he regrets it, he wants to blame everyone else.” Hermes stabs his soy-based sausage with a fury that seems antithetical to him, and tears into it fiercely. Then, he finally notices the silence that has fallen between his breakfast partners. “Well, go on, eat up! This is fantastic, Dad, I love it.”

Persephone takes a small bite of her hash browns, and raises her eyebrows at Zeus. Zeus throws back his orange juice like he wishes it was a mimosa, and nods at Persephone.

Hermes looks back and forth between them, frowning quizzically. “Am I missing something? What’s wrong, guys?”

“We…have something to tell you.”

***

“You’re WHAT?!?”

Artemis jumps, snorts, and turns on her side. “Five more minutes, Mom…” she slurs, and then immediately falls asleep again.

***

Hermes keeps both of his hands clamped firmly over his mouth until he’s absolutely sure his roommate is not conscious, glaring at the two of them the entire time.

“You two are having an affair?!?” he whispers at long last, when he’s sure the coast is clear.

They nod.

“You two are having a BABY?!?”

They nod again.

“WITH EACH OTHER?!?”

Zeus blinks. “No, with the other Zeus and Persephone that live down the hall. Yes, with each other!”

Hermes stares as if he just walked through a thousand yards of Ares’ favorite battles. “For…for how long?”

Persephone gestures at Zeus’ belly. “About that long.”

The god of messengers takes in a deep breath like he’s going to scream, but lets it out slowly. “…you could have told me before I elected to sleep in the chair last night, Dad.”

“There were a lot of other things going on…”

“Holy shit, did you guys have sex in Artie’s BED?”

“What? No!”

“Of course not!” Zeus says at the same time Persephone protests. “She was having a panic attack, Hermes, what do you take me for?”

“Okay, phew, she’d have killed me if you had, that’s a load off.” Hermes takes another bite of egg, swallows, and then continues freaking out. “Holy shit, were you guys sleeping together during our movie night?!?”

Persephone chuckles despite herself. “I think we’ve gone a little off topic here…”

“I mean, I can’t blame you, The Blob is a masterpiece of romantic cinema, but come on, I was right there…”

Zeus rolls his eyes. “We didn’t fuck during the movie night, Hermes.”

“Okay. Okay.” Hermes glances back and forth between the two of them, taking deep, calming breaths. “So. Um. You weren’t kidding when you said this was complicated.”

“Not at all.”

“…were you kidding when you said it was wonderful?”

Persephone feels her eyes drift towards Zeus’ face…his elegant neck, his fine, soft hair, the gray eyes that gaze at her with an awed sort of affection, like he can’t believe this is real. She smiles, and the golden holm oak blossoms sprout from her head in a crown; Zeus smiles back, and the light in the kitchen flickers briefly.

“…Oh my gods you’re fucking adorable,” Hermes whispers, completely stunned. He abruptly gets up, takes his empty plate to the sink, and washes it with a vengeance. Once he’s dried it off and placed it back in the cupboard, he turns around, folds his arms, and glares sternly at them.

“Okay. I’m going to level with the two of you. I always thought Hades behaved like an ass to you, Percie. You seemed happy with him, so I didn’t say anything, but he took you for granted at every available opportunity and it grated. I only stayed with Underworld Corp as long as I did to make sure someone would always be in your corner. And Dad…you’re kind of an ass yourself, but you’ve always been good to me and to my mom, and you’re good to Artie.” Hermes frowns, and sternly makes eye contact with each of them in turn. “I’m going to support…whatever this is, because I love both of you and I’m overjoyed to see you both so happy. But you have to be good to each other, or I’m out. We have enough family drama as it is.”

Persephone looks at Zeus, who takes her hand. “I hope I’ve learned from my past mistakes,” he says.

“Me too,” she replies, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. “We will be as good to each other as we can.”

“Good,” Hermes said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need a fucking beer.”

“It’s seven in the morning, Herm,” Artemis says blearily as she sways into the kitchen. “Mornin’, what’s for breakfast…are you two holding hands?”

Zeus looks at Persephone. Persephone looks at Hermes. Hermes groans and sticks his head in the refrigerator door in search of booze.

“…We have something to tell you.”

***

“OH MY GODS, DID YOU FUCK IN MY BED?!?!?”

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[high-infidelity-series]

Illicit Affairs - Chapter 13

Hades immediately turns around to kiss her, but she anticipates this move and flies out of his reach. She alights several yards away from him, and proceeds to stalk toward the nearest concealed entrance to an Underworld subway tunnel.

“Sweetness, please…”

“I SAID NOT TO CALL ME THAT! You don’t get to pout like a prissy little baby for WEEKS ON END and then come walking back to me without at least an apology!”

He jogs to catch up with her, and she dodges his hand, floating away and glaring with what she knows to be murder in her eyes.

“I’m serious, Hades. Back off. This is not something a little roll in the hay is going to fix. Not this time.”

Hades sighs. “Okay…it’s just…that was incredible, Kore…you’re…”

“Not in the mood for meaningless flattery, that’s what I am.” She crosses her arms, maintaining her distance, hovering so that their eyes are level with each other. Her hair and vines have grown enough that they still trail on the ground, even when her feet are at least a meter in the air. “I only rescued you when I did because your precious Bunny wanted you home to sign the divorce decree.”

“…Hera did that?”

The way he says Hera’s name tells Persephone all she needs to know about where his heart truly lies. “…does it really surprise you that much?”

She drifts back to the ground, suddenly too tired to be angry. She has to lift her head to meet Hades’ eyes, and the strain of the vines and her hair on her neck is almost too much to bear. But, bear it she must, or else all this effort to meet Hades in a neutral location is for nothing.

“Tell me truthfully, Hades. Have you been seeing her since we got married?”

He shifts, and the shame on his face is so apparent that even he knows it’s pointless to lie. “I…yes. Yes I have.”

She closes her eyes, takes in a deep breath, and lets it out. “When?”

“…on and off.”

“When.”

“…It started when you were carrying Melinoë on your shoulders as a flame. I…missed being able to touch you, and Hera was angry because Dio won a seat with the Olympians despite being half-human. One thing led to another…”

Persephone sobs, and the sudden outburst of grief surprises even her. “I was pregnant!”

“You were literally on fire! I…I have needs, Kore…”

She scoffs and shakes her head. “Gods…and let me guess, after that, when I was suffering miscarriage after miscarriage and couldn’t work up the will to get out of bed every day, much less put out, you went running to her for those needs, too.”

He frowns. “I’m…I’m not proud of it…”

“But you don’t regret it either. Do you.”

Hades says nothing.

“That’s what I thought.” Persephone laughs mirthlessly. “Gods…I’m such an idiot. All those years, she was just using me as a pawn to get what she wanted out of you.”

He blinks. “Kore…what are you implying?”

“Childbirth falls under her domain, Hades, particularly when it’s in wedlock.”

“You don’t…no, I’m just infertile, because of my deal with Erebus.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Did Erebus tell you that? Or did you just assume?”

Hades pales. “But…but Minthe…we never even had a pregnancy scare…”

“Minthe was on birth control for her hormonal acne.”

“…that’s right, I remember…oh gods.” Hades sinks his head into his hands. “I can’t believe she would do that to us, to you. She always loved you.”

“I suppose one does grow to love a tool that has proven useful.” Persephone wipes at her cheeks with one hand, and her fingers come back clean of mascara. It’s a hell of a situation to test her waterproof make-up in, but whatever; evidently the stuff works. “Speaking thereof, that coat you gave me when we first met was supposed to be her gift, wasn’t it? Regal, pure white, expensive, in a petite size…tell me, were you turned on by the fact that it fit me?”

He frowns. “Kore, that isn’t fair.”

“But it isn’t wrong, either.” Her lips tremble. “And that’s just, the entire state of our marriage, isn’t it? All this time, I’ve been nothing more than a life-sized Hera doll, which you could dress as you liked and never have to worry about Zeus taking me away from you.”

“Sweetness, that isn’t…”

“I told you. Not. To CALL ME THAT.” Her vision goes red again, and she stops, taking deep breaths.

“Kore, I…I’m sorry.”

“No you are not. Not really.” She stays there, counting the breaths in and out, maintaining focus only on breathing. “Go back to your mansion, Hades. I will be coming by sometime soon to pick up my things.”

“Kore, stop. It was Hera’s idea for me to file for divorce, but I don’t want this. We can work things out…”

“I said, go home. Now. We’re done.”

He remains where he is for far too long a time, but he never approaches her. She stays for much longer, feeling like she’s…rooted into place, like if she doesn’t move for enough time, she’ll become a tree or a rosebush or something and not have to feel anymore.

Until, a warm hand takes hers, and a red face peers gently into her line of vision.

“Hey, Pers,” Hermes murmurs. “Pers, you gotta snap out of this.”

Opening her mouth feels like trying to pry open a block of wood. “…Hermes? I can’t…please help me, I’m…”

Without another word, she’s swept up into her friend’s arms. “Good grief, your hair is heavy,” he mutters. “I’m taking you to my place, all right? I can pay you back for letting me sleep on your couch.”

She nods dumbly on his chest, and in her next breath is asleep from sheer exhaustion.

***

When she wakes up, Persephone finds herself in a familiar room - Artemis’ bedroom, to be exact. That’s right, Hermes and Artemis used to be roommates before Hermes moved in with Hecate; she guesses he moved back in after the break-up. And now she’s back, too, after fifty years; Artemis has a knack for taking in strays.

She stirs a bit, taking in her surroundings. Someone cut her hair back down to a pixie cut, which feels so nice after the night she’s had. She’s in a pair of Artemis’s pajamas - a tank top and shorts, thankfully, or she’d drown in the pants made for her friend’s long limbs. She’s facing the wall, but she can tell she has been tucked into Artemis’s lovely queen-sized bed, which is good, because the other bedroom, which had been hers during college, was where Apollo had…but she doesn’t want to think about that now. She’s warm, she’s safe, and she’s surrounded by the scent of…passionfruit, and ozone, and clean air after a thunderstorm…but Artemis always prefers lavender…

“You’re awake.”

Persephone turns over, and Zeus is sitting in a chair next to the bed. He smiles, but he seems almost half asleep himself.

“And you’re here.”

He rubs his abdomen, where he’s just starting to show. “Artemis and I had a weekly check-up today, which you and Hermes crashed.”

Gods, he looks so tired. “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean…”

“You don’t need to be sorry, we’re all glad you’re here and safe. You had a rough day.” He bends to kiss her forehead, and then stands. “You should probably get back to sleep; it’s late.”

“Please don’t go.”

The tears start flowing before she even realizes it.

Zeus’ eyes soften. And then he turns up the covers on the bed, and Persephone scoots over a bit to make some room for him. He slides into her waiting arms, and she feels like she’s finally coming home after years of wandering.

She falls asleep not five minutes later, her worries forgotten for the rest of the night.

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[high-infidelity-series]

.....*inhales*

CHAPTER NINE OF LORE ASGARD IS HERE!!!!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/44014419/chapters/166415272

It is FINALLY here! Thank FUCK! So-so sorry for the wait!

Anywho, hope you enjoy and let me know your thoughts/theories! Hopefully the next chapter will not take as long as this one lol

[high-infidelity-series]

LORE | REKINDLED EPISODE 70 - ZEUS' EXCUSES

Previous episode | Next episode releases soon! (estimated for May 3rd-May 10th)

It's FINALLY here! Thank you all so much for waiting so long. This episode took a lot of work to get out, but more than that, this episode persevered through a lot of IRL shit that's been weighing it down. There's still more shit to crawl through but I think we are, at least, through the worst of it now 🤞

All that said, if you haven't seen my post yet about Episode 71 and the upcoming mid-season hiatus, please go check it out! We'll definitely do our best to have Episode 71 out at a reasonable pace <3 And then after that we'll be taking an actual official break to rest, prepare the remainder of Season 1, and pull ourselves together after weathering the first half of 2025 ┬┴┬┴┤(･_├┬┴┬┴

And in the meantime, whether between now and the release of Episode 71 or during the course of the upcoming mid-season hiatus, please come join us in our official Discord server! It's honestly pretty big now ??? like damn there are 500 of y'all-

(and we're always open to more if you're not in there yet!)

There are roles available in the server for different pings, including update pings for Rekindled as well as pings for when I'm streaming! And of course we have a variety of different channels discussing both Rekindled as well as other Greek myth retellings and Greek mythology in general :'3 <3 Hope to see you in there!

[high-infidelity-series]

Illicit Affairs - Chapter 12

A week after Sisyphus’ ‘escape,’ Aetna phases through the walls of Persephone’s office.

“It’s Hera,” the holographic nymph states quickly. “She’s on line two, and she’s demanding you speak to her immediately.”

“Thank you, Aetna,” Persephone responds, setting her pen down. She figured, while she is the de facto leader of Underworld, that she might as well listen to the requests of Theseus’ shade union. They made some interesting points in their Skype meeting last night, and Persephone has been solidifying her notes all morning while she has some time on her hands. But, since Hera has deigned to call her personally, she can make some time for her…and set the phone to record, just in case.

Persephone picks up the call on line two, and puts on her best customer service voice. “Underworld Corp, you burn ‘em we churn ‘em. Persephone speaking, how may I assist you?”

She can hear ice clinking in a glass as Hera presses whatever alcoholic beverage she has to her temple before she answers. “If you want your divorce hearing to go through, Hades needs to be present. And he can’t do that while he’s being held captive by that asshole who so magically escaped from the Underworld on your watch.”

Persephone puts her feet up on her desk and twirls the phone cord around her fingertip. “That’s true, but I don’t see any point in rushing things. The divorce will go through when he gets back…I can afford to wait until then.”

“You know perfectly well that my court date for the assault trial is in three days. If Hades has not been released by then, your divorce will not go through.”

Persephone examines her fingernails in the ambient light of the city; she’d wanted to paint them purple, but that would have made her affections too obvious, so instead she went with a pretty silver that sparkles brilliantly. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that too much,” she replies airily. “The max sentence for aggravated assault on a minor goddess is ten years’ banishment in mortal form; I can’t imagine the Olympians will leave the Marriage Bureau leaderless for that long. In fact, didn’t Aphrodite take over for you while you were comatose?”

Hera takes a long, loud drag on her cigarette, and chuckles. “Holding out for a more sympathetic judge, are we?”

“Oh no, I’d assumed that you would recuse yourself from judging our hearing…it’s only the professional thing to do, given the situation with the Weekly Nark. And you are nothing if not professional, old friend.”

She can hear Hera gritting her teeth. “If Hades is not released before harvest time, you’ll have to answer to your mother, because harvesting means death no matter how you phrase it. Mortals will be starving and unable to die, and it will be your fault.”

Persephone shrugs. “I don’t have the authority to make immortals out of scumbags, so I can’t pay the ransom. I don’t know why you’re sticking that responsibility on me.”

“You don’t HAVE to pay the ransom, you just have to kill the kidnapper and rescue the captive - who, as I might remind you, is YOUR HUSBAND.”

“My ex-husband.”

“YOUR DIVORCE ISN’T FINAL YET, and I won’t finalize it until BOTH PARTIES ARE PRESENT.”

“Well, if it’s that important to you, rescue Hades yourself. I’m fine taking care of things as they are now.” Persephone smirks into the receiver. “I’m sure he would be happier to see you, anyway.”

Hera is quiet for a moment, and the subtle creaking of her chair can be heard as she turns to face away from the windows in her office. “You saw us that night, didn’t you?”

Persephone frowns, hoping to sound like as much of an airhead as the tabloids like to paint her. “Saw you…? I confess I have no idea what you mean.”

“You did. I can’t prove it, but you did. And then you produced a miracle, one-try pregnancy after years of infertility, and then a very convenient miscarriage thereafter which I did not authorize…”

Persephone’s blood runs cold. “How many of my miscarriages did you authorize?”

Hera falls tellingly silent.

The Dread Queen drips into Persephone’s voice as she straightens in her chair, the vines creeping into her vision. “You know…that might just be a good topic of conversation to bring up when I rescue my husband. Maybe we can take a guess at how much of his supposed infertility was just you being jealous.”

“Wait, Persephone, I…that wasn’t what I meant…”

“No, you meant to lie to me. But it got you what you wanted~! I’m going to save your little side-squeeze and show up in person to finalize our divorce…and I’m bringing research materials with me.”

With an effort, she hangs up the receiver without shattering the phone entirely. She has had the scroll with Sisyphus on her desk since the moment she let him go; she retrieves it, opening it as she walks to determine his current location. Then, she saunters out of her office, her hair growing from her preferred pixie cut and into a long, vine-filled train behind her.

“Hold my calls, Aetna!” She says cheerfully, paying no heed to the dead silence that falls throughout the office in her wake as the staff tries to figure out if they should dive for cover or not. “I’ve got some important business to attend to.”

There is an open-air balcony on the same floor as her office where she normally takes her lunch; she stops here only long enough to use the wifi to text Zeus.

Me: Hera might know. Be careful.

And then Persephone dissolves into a cloud of butterflies and ascends toward the Mortal Realm.

***

Sisyphus has taken Hades to his kingdom of Ephyra. And Persephone finds them in the town square, locked, as expected, in a circular argument.

“YOU ARE THE GOD OF DEATH. Can’t you just, y’know, put me back in my body?”

Hades has the audacity to yawn. “One, I am not the god of death, I am the king of the dead, crucial distinction. Two, even if I was the god of death, you’ve been dead for a week, eaten by crows and rotting. You wouldn’t want to go back in that body now anyway.”

“I need that body if I am to enjoy my immortality. I need it!”

“Who said you were getting immortality?”

“YOUR WIFE!”

“Ex-wife.”

“WhatEVER! She promised me that she’d make me a god if I proved I could imprison you!”

“You are such a liar.”

“For once, darling, he’s actually telling the truth.”

Sisyphus starts at the sound of her voice, and she’s pretty sure his knees are literally knocking as she materializes in the square out of a cloud of black butterflies. Hades, on the other hand, grins like he cannot help himself.

“Evening, Sweetness.”

“Don’t call me that. I’m still angry with you.” Persephone marches up to Sisyphus’ body, which his wife, on his order, had left to fester in the town square of his capital rather than give a proper burial. He’d likely been hoping to get permission to return to the land of the living for this disservice to his corpse. “And Lord Hades is also correct in that he hasn’t the ability to reverse rot, or restore a soul to its body. That’s my domain.”

She closes her eyes, focusing on the putrefaction that has set into the corpse before her. To be completely accurate, rot and decay has always been part and parcel of her domain; the dead restore the fertility of the earth, allowing life to grow anew in her springtime. Reversing the process is fairly straightforward; she simply commands the trillions of microorganisms currently eating Sisyphus’ body to go into the ground and wait for her command. In a moment, the corpse is restored, and appears as if Sisyphus has simply passed out on the street drunk. Then, with a snap of her fingers, the shade is sucked into the body, reanimating it.

Sisyphus stares at his hands, and feels at his chest, his hair, his face. Then he leaps in the air and whoops joyously.

Hades stares at her, aghast.

“Kore…why?”

She shrugs. “It wasn’t like you were there to do your job anyway, Aidoneus. I had to lighten my workload somehow.”

Sisyphus dares to yank at her long black peplos, giddy in his glee to be alive again. “Now, can you make me immortal?”

She turns glowing red eyes on him and smiles a bit too gently. “But you are already immortal, Sisyphus. And you will continue to be, as long as my husband is chained.”

Sisyphus blinks. “Um…that…but you promised to make me a god!”

Persephone blinks slowly, as if talking to a particularly stupid animal. “And you are!”

“…huh?”

“Okay, apparently you’re on struggle street with even the most basic of your culture’s stories, so let me spell it out for you.” Persephone strolls over to her husband, walking her fingers up his chest when she gets close enough. “The simplest path to apotheosis is a you-break-it-you-bought-it sort of deal. Zeus, Hera, and I all managed to conquer Kronos in single combat, and were made monarchs of our realms in response. And you have the King of the Underworld right here, ready and waiting,” she floats a bit to embrace Hades from behind, grinning madly at Sisyphus over his shoulder. “All you truly need to do to inherit his title…is kill him.”

Hades raises an eyebrow at her, but shows no sign of unease. Sisyphus, on the other hand, glances back and forth between their faces like he’s watching a tennis match.

“But…he can’t die? Not when he himself is chained up. He’s…the Lord of the Dead…”

“Oh, dear, that does seem to be a bit of an oversight. Whoopsie! Silly me.”

The human tyrant gapes at her. “You…you tricked me…”

“Duh.” Persephone produces the keys to the chains from her pocket, concealing the motion behind Hades’ much greater height.

“You LIED TO ME! You said…”

“You really need to pay close attention to the exact wording of any contract, dearie,” Persephone says, turning the key in the lock and catching the shackles with magic so they do not jangle. “I told you that I would make you immortal if you pulled off a grift that required you to be cleverer than Zeus.”

“And you LIED! Because I DID pull it off! You lying witch, I have PROVEN I am cleverer than Zeus, and you are denying me my…”

Thunder rolls directly overhead, when the night was still as the grave beforehand. Sisyphus has the space of a heartbeat to register the fatal, blasphemous, and hubristic statement that just exited his mouth, and to see the shackles that Persephone dangles smugly from her fingers.

And then a single bolt of lightning incinerates him, killing him instantly.

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[high-infidelity-series]

Illicit Affairs - Chapter 11

Hades proceeds to shirk his duties for the next two weeks.

Persephone is used to taking her share of the courtroom judgments, at least when Aiakos, Rhadamanthus, and Minos cannot come to a consensus. However, the three judges of the Underworld have very little respect for her because…frankly they’re a bunch of sexist busybodies. They listen to Hades, but when Hades is gone they go out of their way to piss her off. She wishes she could go back in time and appoint three daughters of Zeus as the judges rather than his three endlessly bickering sons, but such is life.

It all comes to a head when the shade of Sisyphus is brought before her.

Minos looks ponderously down his nose at Persephone, even though the throne she sits upon leaves her a couple of feet higher than his head. “Mistress, I’m afraid there’s been a mistake in this poor man’s sentence.”

“May I see his scroll?”

Aiakos politely obliges her, and, because she is intimately acquainted with this idiot’s rap sheet, she reads as she goes.

“All right…repeated killing of guests and travelers, a violation of xenia…”

“They were not guests, they were invaders!” Rhadamanthus cries. “He was only protecting his people!”

“…conspiracy to commit fratricide…”

“His brother was a vile tyrant who demanded his on kingdom worship him under the name of Zeus!” Minos protests. “He had the right, nay, the duty to slay Salmoneus!”

“…seduction of his brother’s daughter, so that she would bear children who would do the dirty work of killing his brother for him…”

Rhadamanthus snorts. “That’s what women are for! You yourself are a daughter of Zeus who was given to his brother in marriage! You should know how these things work!”

Persephone takes a deep breath. “Like I have repeatedly said in the past, I am not Zeus’ daughter, nor am I in any way related to Hades by blood. Demeter bore me by herself.”

Rhadamanthus and Minos sneer, and Persephone blinks away the red rage that overtakes her for a second.

“Let me speak to the accused in private. I will settle this.”

The three judges glance between themselves, obviously shocked that she is this easy to convince. But they shuffle out of the room shortly thereafter, leaving her alone with Sisyphus.

He has enough grace to bow, and enough respect to keep his head down. But the man stinks of hubris, and it’s all she can do to stop from smiting his pathetic soul on the spot.

“Gracious Lady, I plead for your mercy, where your dread husband has until now shown me none…”

“Dread EX-husband, or soon to be anyway.” Persephone sniffs. “And you can stop it with the groveling, it bores me.”

“…yes, my Lady.” Sisyphus straightens his back, allowing himself to look her in the eye.

“Good. Now. I’m more interested in this other story about you, how you imprisoned Thanatos in a jar and Ares had to break him out.”

“Your Grace, I assure you…I was only trying to live long enough to care for my peo…”

“You were trying to live long enough to father a son on your niece and reap your revenge with him. But joke’s on you, Poseidon cuckolded you like a sucker, your wife hates you and intends to run off to join the Greater Ocean Polycule before your bones are dried, your ‘sons’ have no intention of continuing your tyrannical joke of a kingdom, and Zeus vaporized your brother twenty years ago anyway.” Persephone closes the scroll with a snap. “None of your lies are going to sway me, so don’t bother. Instead, I want to make a wager with you.”

Sisyphus stares at her. “A…wager?”

“Yes. I make the wager that you can’t imprison Hades, as you did with Thanatos. Only someone who is more clever than Zeus could even try it, and you certainly are not that.”

Sisyphus’ eyes glitter dangerously. “I could definitely contest that assertion, my lady, but what would be in it for me when I win this wager?”

Persephone makes a show of crossing her legs. “I know a few people; if someone proves himself to be that clever, I could pull some strings, and get him turned into a god himself. But, if you lose, you go to Tartarus…but you’re going there anyway, so you really have nothing to lose.”

The shade gawps at her, and then leers lecherously at the pink skin of her calf. “My Lady…you have a deal.”

“Very good.” She claps her hands, and a set of shackles falls upon the ground at Sisyphus’ feet. “Take these, they’ll let you capture the Unseen One, if you get close enough. Happy hunting~”

Sisyphus bows low, takes up the chains, and scurries out of the courtroom. Persephone watches him run out with a gleam in her eye. If he does catch Hades, the Underworld will come to a halt unless her role as Queen is taken seriously. Then, when Sisyphus inevitably hangs himself with his own hubris again, the Judges of the Underworld will have no choice but to send him to Tartarus. She’s already won, but his own stupid pride has blinded him to that.

She leaves the room herself not long thereafter, taking her phone from a concealed pocket. She texts Hermes and Thanatos warnings about Sisyphus’ ‘escape,’ tells them to maintain their distance from him, and to text her and Hades when they find him. Hermes replies with a thumbs up emoji, and Thanatos with one that salutes. Persephone smiles, and then returns to her favorite text chat.

Me: So according to some douchebag shades, I’m your daughter. Care to comment?

Grape Juice: …If you call me Daddy in the bedroom, I will FUCKING divorce you.

Me: You keep saying that, but that implies you’re intending to marry me~

Grape Juice: Oh yeah, I’m picking out the biggest diamond I can find so you can throw it at my head the day after the wedding. It’ll be brutal, the tabloids will love it.

Me: Perfect…can you break away and see me tonight? I miss you.

Grape Juice: No sooner said than done! I’ve got some of my own courtroom drama to share from up top!

***

After a long weekend largely spent canoodling with her lover, Persephone returns to Underworld Corp in a fantastic mood. She sees a text from her eldest child, adopted Dionysus, and her mood only gets better.

Dio: Um, Ma? Can you explain why people aren’t dying?

Me: Sisyphus captured your dad and is holding him for ransom.

Dio: You mean Hades? The guy who told me to suck it up when I wanted to bring my birth mom back to life? The guy who had me making cocktails for him as soon as I could walk? The guy who MADE A PASS AT HEBE the other day because she looks so much like Hera?

Me: …Okay, Sisyphus kidnapped Hades, King of the Underworld, and is holding him for ransom.

Dio: LET THE BASTARD ROT.

…

Dio: I’ll tell the Maenads to ease off the sauce until this is done; don’t want anyone having their head ripped off and not being able to die. Let’s see how long it takes for the world to miss that asshole.

Me: It’s all right, Dio, I have it covered. I’m on my way to the office right now.

Dio: And of COURSE, YOU’RE the one stuck doing his fucking job for him, AS ALWAYS!! Let him wallow in the consequences of his own actions for once; the man has it coming.

Persephone fights back a smile. Well, so much for Zeus’ concerns about Hades turning her kids against her.

Thanatos catches her eye as she enters Underworld Corp headquarters, and jogs to walk next to her. “What did you do?” he whispers, covering his mouth with one white wing.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

“Yes you do. You told me and Hermes to hold off on collaring Sisyphus, and we texted you and Hades as ordered. I know you saw the text, but you never showed up.”

Persephone hides her grin by taking a sip of her coffee. She can pinpoint the exact second she received that text, and it happened to coincide with a much more pleasant noise that she’d managed to wring from Zeus’ pretty mouth. “I was otherwise occupied,” she says. “Hades should have been able to handle him by himself.”

“Well, he couldn’t, and now Sisyphus is asking for immortality in exchange for his release.”

“Oh dear, what a shame.”

They enter her office, and Thanatos shuts the door with a click. “You could try taking this seriously. Hades is not the god of death, but he is the person who receives the sacrificial offerings and distributes them…”

“Not all of them; I do have some checks I can sign. And I’m perfectly capable of taking over in his absence.”

Thanatos folds his hands under his nose, then breathes in and out slowly. “Persephone…I know Hades is being a dick to you in this divorce. Trust me, pretty much everyone on the payroll is rooting for you to take half to all of his banks. But we do need him, even if he’s been skipping work like a little pissant for weeks.”

“Oh, you’ll get him back, don’t worry.” Persephone smiles. “But, in the meantime, you can enjoy a few extra PTO days. Take that new girlfriend of yours out on the town, no?”

Thanatos blinks. “You…know about Megaera?”

“I do! And she’s a real sweetheart.” Persephone winks. “So you gotta treat her right! Take the day off and go to her favorite restaurant…and tell her I said hi!”

Thanatos grins like a boy. “You know what? I’ll take you up on that! Have a nice day, Persephone; try not to work too hard.”

“Oh, trust me,” she puts her feet up on her desk and reclines back in her chair, “I’ve got that covered.”

Predictably, she has no emails, and no meetings until later in the day. So, she pulls up the texting app on her phone to see if she’s missed anything.

Minty Fresh: Can you tell me what’s going on in your brother-in-law’s head?

Me: What do you mean?

Minty Fresh: He just sent me a beautiful blanket as a baby shower gift, and open-ended invitation to his gender reveal party.

Me: Oh? That sounds very nice…

Minty Fresh: YES, EXACTLY. Zeus doesn’t do ‘nice,’ not for me; he always called me the meanest nymph he’d ever met because I wasn’t willing to kiss up to his wife or brother.

Me: Well…there you go. His wife and brother have been running around on him with each other for thousands of years; maybe he’s figured out he misjudged all of you, and he’s angling to make amends?

Minty Fresh: Yeah, but…with me?

Me: Well, you are sorta like his daughter-in-law now…

Minty Fresh: good point

…

Minty Fresh: Would he be offended if I declined the invitation? It’s a nice gesture, but I’m going to hit month eight by that point, and I’m not going to be in the mood for one of Zeus’ parties.

Me: I don’t think he’ll mind.

Minty Fresh: I’ll send him a gift, just to be sure. It turns out that that blanket is Ares’ old security blanket, and he’s been crying over it all day.

Me: Awww, that’s sweet.

Minty Fresh: I KNOW, and it is WEIRD. I’m still trying to get used to this.

Persephone smiles, and moves on to another conversation.

Biggest_Dickest: WHY IS NO ONE DYING IN MY WARS?!? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON DOWN THERE?!?

Me: Sisyphus kidnapped Hades and is holding him for ransom.

Biggest_Dickest: Wait…seriously?

Me: Yep.

Biggest_Dickest: THAT IS FUCKING HILARIOUS! Okay, putting a halt on wars now. I wanna see how this pans out.

…

Biggest_Dickest: Also, LOOK AT WHAT MY DAD FOUND! Athena made this for me when I was a baby, but I thought I’d lost it!

Ares posts a picture of himself with a black-and-white wool blanket over his head. He’s grinning ear to ear, and Persephone can detect a little mist at the edge of his permanently crimson sclera; Minthe looks on from the background, a fond half- smile on her face.

Me: That’s wonderful! It will see some good use, I’m sure!

Before Ares can reply, another text comes through.

Aidoneus: Sweetness, I haven’t eaten all weekend. Please respond.

Persephone pointedly clicks away from that text - Hades is a big boy, and if he can get ahold of his cell phone, he can free himself. She decides to move on to a more important conversation.

Grape Juice: I know this Sisyphus situation is your idea, Seph. What are you up to?

Persephone posts a gif of Darth Vader belly-laughing, then one of him holding his hands in the shape of a heart.

Me: Don’t worry about it~

Grape Juice: okay, one, quit being so hot and nerdy, I’m at work. And two…I’ll see where this goes. It’s proving to be very entertaining on my end.

Me: You’re welcome!

…

Me: Any chance you’ll tell me what YOU’RE up to? Minthe is having an existential crisis.

Zeus replies with a gif of a raccoon rubbing its palms together and laughing evilly.

Me: Fair enough.

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[high-infidelity-series]

Illicit Affairs - Chapter 10

A week later, on her way home, Zeus texts her a Fatesbook link to a video Aphrodite apparently recorded that day. In it, Hades storms into Hera’s office at the Marriage Bureau, slams the door behind him, and slaps a manila envelope onto her desk. A vicious argument proceeds…so vicious that Aphrodite had to cut the video a few times. By the time it’s done, an hour has passed on the clock. Hades marches out of Hera’s office, papers in hand; Hera, lighting up a cigarette, digs deep in her desk for her bottle of emergency vodka, and casually flips Aphrodite’s camera the bird without looking up.

Zeus allows her enough time to notice and watch the video, and then texts a gif of Emperor Palpatine laughing.

Purple Pain In My Ass: Very well done, my young apprentice.

Persephone grins, and sends him a gif of Darth Vader saying, ‘Now I am the master.’

Purple Pain In My Ass: Ooh, that’s sexy. Say that with a riding crop next time I come over.

Me: Okay, quit trying to sext me, your son is here to serve me new divorce papers.

Purple Pain In My Ass: Which one?

Me: Hermes

Purple Pain In My Ass: Oh, he’s fine, just tell him I fucked his mom and he’ll laugh.

Hermes looks about ready to cry. “Pers, I’m so sorry…”

“Don’t be, this probably takes my alterations into account.” When he’s still glum even after she hugs him, she sighs. “I have some leftover pizza, and a bad horror movie. You want to come inside?”

He perks up immediately at the mention of food, just as she thought he would. “Really?”

“Yeah, it’s been a while since we’ve had a movie night.”

“Sweet!”

While he situates himself on the couch, Persephone microwaves some popcorn, and silently takes her phone out.

Me: Your son is sleeping on my couch tonight.

Purple Pain In My Ass: Okay, I won’t go downstairs.

Me: Wait, you’re HERE?!? Like, RIGHT NOW?!?

Purple Pain In My Ass: Yep.

Me: I thought you were sleeping at your place tonight!

Purple Pain In My Ass: Well, I was going to, but my mattress sucks and yours is so soft…

Me: You can literally make a soft mattress out of clouds.

Purple Pain In My Ass: I can also make a beautiful woman out of clouds, but I can’t make her warm…

Persephone rolls her eyes, and peers out of the kitchen at Hermes, who is already starting to doze where he sits in front of the looping DVD menu.

Me: Okay, you can stay. But you need to disguise yourself.

Purple Pain In My Ass: No sooner said than done!

He sends a picture of himself in the form of a bearded dragon, once again in the ‘draw me like one of your nymphs’ pose, his tongue flicking cheekily.

Me: ARE YOU TRYING TO SEDUCE ME IN THE FORM OF A LIZARD?!?!?

Purple Pain In My Ass: Is it working?

Me: THE ONLY REASON YOU ARE NOT SLEEPING ON THE COUCH IS THAT YOUR SON IS CURRENTLY THERE!

Purple Pain In My Ass: So it IS working!

Me: SHUT UP. I am going to watch The Blob with my friend, and I am going to pass out in my recliner.

Purple Pain In My Ass: Oh, sweet, I can sleep diagonally in the bed!

Me: You are a MENACE TO SOCIETY!!!

Zeus sends a laughing emoji that is sticking out its tongue, and then waits a few minutes. Persephone has given Hermes the bowl of popcorn and started the movie before he texts again.

Purple Pain In My Ass: In all seriousness, Seph, have fun. I’ll see you in the morning.

Without thinking, she replies.

Me: I love you.

As soon as she sends the text, she freaks out, trying to find a way to delete it…but no, he’s already read it, and there’s an ellipsis there that means he’s replying. She types out a postscript that reads *as a friend, then deletes it because it’s not true. She tries *no pressure, we can just keep things casual if you want, and almost sends it…but then, the ellipsis disappears as Zeus sends his reply.

Purple Pain In My Ass: gods, Seph, I love you too.

…

Purple Pain In My Ass: what are we going to do?

Her heart is hammering. She glances at Hermes, who has taken up the entire length of her couch, and has fallen asleep with his hand still inside the popcorn bowl.

Me: …I don’t know. But, I’m…gosh, I don’t know. I want to be more than…whatever we are, but the timing is all wrong, and…I don’t know.

…

Me: I do love you, though. And I’m insanely happy that you love me back.

…

Purple Pain In My Ass: I do. But yeah, you’re right. The timing’s off. But we have all the time in the world to figure out what this is going to be, so don’t pressure yourself too much, okay?

Me: …right back at you, Grape Juice.

…

Purple Pain In My Ass: Excuse me, WHAT did you just call me?

Persephone snickers; she so rarely gets him on his backfoot that she has to savor it while she can.

Me: Grape Juice! Because you’re purple, and sweet, and very tasty.

Purple Pain In My Ass: All true things, I grant you, but I think I’d prefer a different name.

Me: Okay, so Juicy Zeusy?

Purple Pain In My Ass: I want a divorce.

Me: Zeusy-woosy?

Purple Pain In My Ass: Scratch that, I want a fight. Get your ass up here and say that to my face, PINKY.

Me: I could never hurt a pregnant man!

Purple Pain In My Ass: And you won’t~! Because I’m going to KICK YOUR CANDY ASS!

Me: You wish.

…

Me: Good night, Zeus. I love you.

Grape Juice: I love you too, Seph.

***

The next morning, Persephone goes upstairs for a shower, and Zeus is nowhere to be seen. The bed has been made, and the window is open, so she assumes that he decided to go home during the night.

Then she goes into the closet, and one purple hand beckons from behind her hanging dresses.

As soon as she gets close enough, the hand takes hers by the wrist and gently pulls it through her clothes to rest upon his abdomen. “Sh, wait,” Zeus murmurs from his hiding place. “He’ll start up again in a moment.”

Persephone waits…and then she feels the movement, a slight twitching sensation from within Zeus’ belly. Tears prick at her eyes; so this is why he insisted on visiting again so soon.

“You said it’s a boy?”

“Yep, and an active one at that. I didn’t feel Dio move even close to this early.” Zeus laughs, a soft, fond, paternal sort of laugh that she’s never heard from him before. “Artemis says he’s healthy, and that I did a good job with the transplant.”

“You chose Artemis as your midwife?”

“She’s more experienced with less-than-traditional deliveries than Eileithyia, so yes. I told her I’m doing this as a favor for a friend, and she agreed to be discreet.”

Persephone ventures through the hangers to hug Zeus fully, her head resting just under his chin. “Thank you; I’ve missed him. I’ve missed you.”

For the space of a few heartbeats, he just holds her, nuzzling the top of her head. “Did you mean it?” he asks at last. “What you said last night…do you really love me?” He asks this like he’s holding his breath on her answer, like he is both daring to hope and scared out of his mind.

Persephone inhales the smell of his cologne before she answers. “Did you mean what you said back? Or did you just say it because I said it first?”

“…gods, Seph, I…”

“Hey, Pers!” Hermes’ voice trickles through the closed closet door. “Is it okay if I take a shower?”

Persephone sighs, and raises her voice just enough for him to hear her. “Go ahead! Get your own towel from the linen closet in the bathroom!”

“Will do, thanks!”

The bathroom door shuts a few moments later, and Persephone pulls away, catching Zeus’ gray gaze. “I’ve had feelings for you for a while,” she admits frankly, feeling her hair starting to bud with oak blossoms. “But I didn’t want to say anything, because…I don’t know, I could just be experiencing a very, very bad rebound, and I didn’t want to hurt you by saying something I’d end up taking back in the end.”

He smiles sadly down at her. “It’d be all right if that was the case; I’ve hurt so many, it would only be fair…”

She shuts that noise up by throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly. “I don’t want to hurt you, stupid. I really do love you.”

Zeus smiles again, and it’s like a thousand years of hurts and worries melt from his face. “I love you too,” he replies, beaming, and holds her tight.

They remain that way for a long while, their heartbeats in each other’s ears, the subtle movement of their son between them.

Persephone pensively twists a lock of his hair between her fingers. “I guess I have to get you a key to the apartment…or a key to your place? I’ve never been over there.”

“It’s probably best to wait on keys until after your divorce is final. But, if you want to come over to my place…” Zeus thinks, humming into her hair. “I can throw a wild gender-reveal party and invite you.”

“…how wild?”

The grin she feels against her head is utterly mad. “Wild.”

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[high-infidelity-series]

Illicit Affairs - Chapter 9

That afternoon, while Zeus naps beside her, Persephone emails the altered divorce decree to the attorney he recommended. She receives a reply within an hour confirming that the email has been received. From there, it’s just a waiting game.

The day after that, she reluctantly rises from bed three full hours before the typical waking time in the underworld. She tries to avoid disturbing her bedmate, but he’s awake at the same time she is, and dispassionately watches her dress.

“You don’t have to go, Seph.”

“Yes I do,” she replies immediately, stepping into her pantyhose. “If I don’t show up at Underworld Corp today, after receiving a divorce decree, the stock marketeers will run from our shares like they’re poison, and there will be less for us to divvy up in the end. It’s like you said: I need to make a clean break, and this is how I do it.”

“…okay, fair point.” Zeus ogles her ass lazily as she chooses her outfit for the day, but frowns when she settles upon a knee-length black skirt-suit and a matching hat which has a small veil in the front. “Didn’t you wear that to Orion’s funeral?”

“Good memory, I did.”

“…you’re going to work in funeral clothes?”

“It’s the Underworld, Zeus.”

“And you’re the goddess of rebirth, and dress in pastels all the time. If someone sees you in black, they’ll think something’s wr…oh.” Zeus grins, and Persephone knows his quick mind has her plan figured out already. “That’s evil.”

“It is,” she says, sitting beside him. “I blame the company I’ve been keeping recently.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere~” he singsongs, leaning into the long, slow kiss she initiates.

For a moment, Persephone considers telling Underworld Corp to go fuck itself and jumping right back into bed with him, with his amazing kisses and his comfortable cuddling technique and his beautiful smile. But, alas, she has a reputation to maintain, and a façade to implement, so after a few moments she forces herself to pull away.

Zeus lets her go without fuss, sighing. “I have to schedule a prenatal care appointment, myself…and I guess I have to leave before any paparazzi decide to scale your walls.”

She caresses his face with her thumb. “When do you think you can visit again?”

“I honestly do not know,” he replies. “But I will keep in touch, I promise.”

Persephone almost tells him she loves him, but reconsiders; she’s pretty sure that this is all just sex and revenge to him, albeit sex and revenge with a friend. She doesn’t want to force him to make promises he can’t keep. “Good luck then,” she says instead. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Thanks,” he replies after a moment. “You too.”

***

Hermes meets her at the door to their office, coffee in hand. “Welcome back, Dread Queen,” he says, walking her to the elevator door.

“Good to be back,” she replies, smiling up at him.

He angles her toward an elevator that is completely empty. As soon as the doors close, he hands her a steaming cup.

“Oh, Hermes, you didn’t have to…”

“Yes I did. You deserved a pick-me-up after the, uh, package I delivered the other day.”

She smiles, and takes a sip; it’s herbal tea, rose-scented and lightly sweetened.

“Do you like it?” Hermes asks. “I know you typically like a caramel macchiato or a Big Sip, but those have a lot of caffeine in them, so I tried for something else.”

She peers up at him. “Okay…who told you I was pregnant?”

If Hermes wasn’t bright red in the first place, she’s sure he would have lit up like a thermometer. “No one told me, but I’m literally everyone’s mailman, so I do hear rumors…” He trails off, blinks, and then his head whips to look down at her. “Wait, ‘was’? As in, past tense, you…aren’t anymore?”

Persephone sighs.

“Oh gods, Pers, I’m so sorry.” In a heartbeat, Hermes has wrapped her in a tight hug. “That’s just…it didn’t happen because I served you, did it?”

“No,” she hugs him back, trying to hide the guilt she feels at lying to her oldest friend. “It’s happened before; consequences of being an Underworld goddess, really. It’s nobody’s fault.”

“Still, it sucks.”

“…yeah,” she concedes. “It really sucks.”

That’s when the elevator stops. They break apart right as the door opens, Persephone wiping discreetly at her mascara, while Hermes levels a glare at the deity who dared to interrupt.

“Morning, Hecate.” The tone of his voice is so chilly that Persephone almost expects him to spit ice.

The goddess of witchcraft studies them with distant yellow eyes for a few seconds before replying. “Morning, Hermes. I missed you last night.”

“Hmm, can’t say the same.” He angles himself to stand between the two goddesses.

Hecate pinches her temples. “I’m sorry about the divorce papers, okay? I told Hades that he had to hold off, try a trial separation before signing the paperwork, but he insisted that they had to be delivered as soon as possible.”

“You are the only one who can talk sense into that rotten old blueberry. You could have stalled.”

“I did stall, for as long as I could.”

“You should have stalled longer.”

“No, I couldn’t. Just as I can’t put off this conversation any longer.” Hecate leans around Hermes to meet Persephone’s eyes, her blue face lined with a hint of contrition. “I’m sorry, Persephone, but…Hades wants a meeting with you later this morning, in private.”

Persephone allows her sclera to gradually redden. “Did he say what about?”

“…yes. He said he has issues with the alterations to the child custody arrangements you made.”

“…then you can tell him there is no child for whom to arrange custody,” Persephone lets her eyes fade back to their natural blue, and pointedly directs her gaze away from Hecate’s. “Not anymore.”

The elevator falls into a tense silence. Persephone can feel the piercing glare Hermes directs at Hecate. After a few seconds of this, the door opens on Persephone’s floor. She and Hermes step out, while Hecate remains behind.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” she says quietly.

Persephone acknowledges her condolences by stopping, and nodding, without turning around. When she hears the door close, she continues on toward her desk.

Hermes matches her pace the entire time. “I’m breaking up with her.”

And there’s the reaction she was truly hoping he wouldn’t have. “Please, don’t do that just because of my divorce…”

“No, this has been a long time coming; frankly, I don’t think we were all that well-suited for each other.” He pulls her office chair out for her to sit in, and pats her shoulder. “I’m only a phone call away if you need anything.”

“…thanks, Hermes.”

“Anything. I mean it.” He cracks a window, and flies upward toward the Mortal Realm, headed to his first pickup of the day.

***

Hades leaves work early that day. Persephone only knows this because she’s called into the courtroom to cover for him in passing judgement on mortal souls. Which…is like him, honestly; he always chooses to mope in a way that foists his work off onto everyone else.

After court for the day is adjourned, she overhears the Erinyes gossiping in the locker room about how distracted and melancholy Hades looked when he left. “It’s so sad,” Megaera sniffs. “They were, like, MADE for each other; I wish the two of them could have found a way to work things out.”

“Well,” Tisiphone points out, “he’ll be single again soon, so you could always ask him out, like you’ve been wanting to for centuries.”

“Oh, no,” Megaera giggles. “I got over that crush ages ago. No, I’m actually going out with Thanatos for dinner tonight.”

“Oooh, now there’s some good news,” Alecto coos. “Give us the deets, girl!” Their voices die out as they leave the locker room, and Persephone smiles. She doesn’t remember when Thanatos broke up with Daphne, but she does think that Megaera is a better fit for him in a more permanent relationship; she quietly wishes them well.

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[high-infidelity-series]

#Minthe was right

Song: Carrie Underwood - Before He Cheats

[high-infidelity-series]

Are there any other LO-critical projects like LR?? Doesn’t have to be comics, I like fanfic(critic-fic?) too, I’ve been really interested in reading stuff like LR

Sure is! The list I have here are just the ones I know of, there are definitely more out there if you browse the #antiLO #lo critical tags or filter your searches on fanfic sites like AO3, but I hope this gives you a good start into finding more works that scratch that itch!

Lore Asgard (AO3) - Briefly in the original LO, Persephone jokes about running off to the Norse Pantheon; Lore Asgard is what would have happened if she actually went through with it.

Lore Mictlan (AO3) - Also plays with the question of "what if Persephone ran off to the Norse Pantheon", but instead she winds up in the realm of the Aztec gods.

Pomegranmints (AO3) - Re-imagines the plot of LO if Persephone and Minthe kissed instead of fighting over Hades ٩(♡ε♡)۶

Survive the Night (Tumblr) - Not sure how long this project is planned to be but it's basically a re-imagining of LO that further explores all the deeply-rooted issues of Hades and Minthe's relationship. Very tense and emotionally raw dialogue scenes, Minthe gets a lot more agency and character exploration here.

Desire for Peace (Webtoon) - Though it's an entirely unique work separate from LO (it's not a fan comic or retelling), the creator was compelled by a distaste towards modern Greek myth retellings to create their own Greek myth comic, starring Ares as the main protagonist. It has both beautiful and unique art, and it presents a writing style that isn't as watered down and simplified as so many popular commercial Greek myth retellings tend to be. The creator is very cool and has done an amazing job at creating a true Greek myth retelling comic, without all the bells and whistles and crutches of "modernizing" the stories.

Theia Mania - Also not at all related to LO, it's just a great comic series that covers all sorts of different myths and tales, but it's most famously known for its ongoing retelling of Hades and Persephone in Queen of the Dead. Like the creator of Desire for Peace, the creator of Theia Mania is someone who Gives a Shit™️ about the source material they're writing about and does a great job at both presenting the culture of Ancient Greece at the time (so again, no modern 2000's stuff here) but also putting some of their own unique twists on an old tale. And the best part? No Demeter scapegoating to be found here <3

Lore Valhalla (Youtube/Patreon) - A brief one-shot that remakes the first episode of Lore Olympus, but with Norse gods instead of Greek. This isn't an ongoing series, just a fun project that Youtuber Crown Obsidian challenged himself to make after he read (and did not particularly enjoy) Lore Olympus.

[high-infidelity-series]

Hiiiii I rlly wann say that I love lore asgard!!! Im excited for chapter 9!!! :3

Are there any other focs like lore asgard that are anti lore olympus? I know abt lore rekindled but idk about any others

Oh yeah, definitely!

There's The Goddess of Youth - A Lore Olympus Fix-it Fic , A fic that's centered around Hebe and her mission to save Olympus from Apollo, it takes place some time after Hades and Persephone's wedding (1/? Chapters, 1.3k words)

Illicit Affairs, where after finding out that Hades is cheating on her with Hera, Persephone starts an affair with Zeus...and shit goes down. (21/21 Chapters, Series, 41.2k words)

On The Long Way Down, where after being broken up with by Hades, Minthe takes Persephone and gives her a tour around the realms to show her what she would truly be signing up for...also it's gay/pos (5/6 Chapters, 18.6k words)

Lore Miclan, where Persephone decides to run away and join the Norse Pantheon. She however, after following an intriguing dog, ends up in the Aztec Pantheon. Meanwhile, Demeter and Hades go look for her and reopen some old wounds in the process. (1/10 Chapters, Updates every Friday, 1.3k words)

And that's all I know really, hopefully you'll find what you're looking for/genuine

[high-infidelity-series]

Illicit Affairs - Chapter 8

The next day, Persephone awakes to an empty bed, and almost panics. It would be just like Zeus to swoop back into her life after a couple of months, only to leave without saying goodbye after one (admittedly incredible) night. She’s seen it happen from the outside so many times, and she wants to kick herself for falling for it herself as she throws on a nightgown and robe.

And then she hears the sound of retching from the bathroom, and practically yanks open the door.

Zeus looks up at her from where he kneels in front of the toilet. “Hey, sorry to wake you. I forgot how the morning sickness hit all at once when I transplanted Dio…”

He bends over the bowl and hoarks up another serving of pizza. Persephone practically dives to his side, gathering his hair into a rough ponytail to keep it out of his face and rubbing his back soothingly.

When his stomach lets him have a free moment, he stares at her. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me, it’s part of the job. You helped Hera and Semele like this, right?”

“…Semele, yes. Hera hated my touching her at this stage, which….is fair, I guess.” He chuckles ruefully. “I abandoned so many women to deal with the morning sickness alone; my comfort probably felt pretty hypocritical.”

She kisses his shoulder. “Well, you got enough poetic justice for that when you went through this with Dionysus without help, so I’m not going to leave you alone, if you don’t leave me.”

His eyes are soft on hers, even as he grins. “Scared you, didn’t I?”

“Mm, a little.” She wipes a bit of sweat away from his temple. “Do you need anything? Crackers, water…?”

“Maybe a bath, and a nap,” he says. “And my phone; I am calling in sick.” He bats his eyes at her shamelessly. “Mind taking the bath with me?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

She gets to wash his hair again, which….she thinks she might grow addicted to the feel of those silky strands between her fingers, and to the little hums of contentment Zeus makes at the contact. When they’re waiting on her deep-conditioner to work its magic, Zeus leans back into her arms, calls his secretary…and, to her consternation, sets the call to speakerphone.

“What are you…?”

“Sh, you’ll love this, he’s the funniest guy I’ve ever met,” Zeus reassures her in a low voice, which he raises when the call is picked up. “Hey, Gany…would you mind doing me a solid and rescheduling all my appointments today? I’m feeling like fresh roadkill.”

“…Zeus, so help me, I’m not bailing you out of the drunk tank again…”

“Oh, I’m in a much more comfortable place than the drunk tank,” he grins up at Persephone lasciviously.

“…Zeus, so fucking help me, if you’ve knocked up another mortal princess…”

“No, Gan, this time I’m pretty sure I’m the one that’s been knocked up. I’ve been making out with the toilet bowl this entire morning.”

There is a long breath from the other side of the call. “Son of a flea-ridden goat…”

“Hey, take that back! Amalthea always got the best flea shampoo!”

“Oh, excuse me, son of a BITCH!”

Persephone has to bite her hand to stop herself from snort-laughing. Zeus, utterly unrepentant, pats her arm fondly while snickering evilly at the phone.

“You KNOW what’s going to happen when the tabloids get wind of this, right? EVERYONE is going to assume I’M the baby-daddy.”

“Oh come on, Gany, there’s so many other candidates out there to blame…”

“They ALREADY assume we’re together; the yaoi fan-porn is RIDICULOUS…”

“They’re just rumors, Gan, they’ll blow over!”

“I’M ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED TO YOUR GRANDSON!”

“Storge’ll be fine, just buy him another hamster and he’ll forget the whole thing.”

“HE HAS SEVEN HUNDRED HAMSTERS!!!!”

“What’s one more, then?”

“ZEUS YOU F-“ Ganymede stops himself, taking a few deep breaths. “You know, when I took this job, it was under the assumption that you wouldn’t be such a walking PR nightmare after your divorce. But noooooo, it’s like the concept of a condom never FUCKING OCCURS TO YOU!”

“Sorry, Gany,” and this time Zeus does manage to infuse a modicum of genuine contrition into his tone.

“No you’re not, but whatever. I’ll rearrange your schedule, try to be here tomorrow if possible.” There’s a pause and the sound of a keyboard clicking. “Just…please tell me you at least did it as a humanoid creature this time? Please?”

“I did it as me!”

“THAT’S NOT FUCKING REASSURING, ZEUS! We are OUT of room in the stables, and there’s no WAY I’m egg-sitting for you…”

“Well, I did promise Storge a new hamster for his birthday~!”

“HERA SHOULD HAVE SMOTHERED YOU IN YOUR SLEEP!” And with that, Ganymede hangs up.

As soon as the call drops, Persephone dissolves into helpless giggles against Zeus’ back. “That poor man~!”

“That actually went better than I thought it would!”

“He deserves a raise!”

“He does, but he’s getting competitive pay, excellent benefits, a 401k, and my grandson; I don’t know what more I could give him.”

“Maybe an all-expenses-paid honeymoon?”

“…Now there’s a thought. I’ll have to ask where they’re going…”

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[high-infidelity-series]

Illicit Affairs - Chapter 7

The vote goes through without a hitch. Hera is suspended from her duties as Queen of Olympus, pending a trial, set to happen about three weeks after Persephone’s scheduled return to the Underworld.

She is not, however, suspended from her duties as Goddess of Marriage.

Which makes it very difficult for Persephone when she goes to file for divorce.

She’d been hoping to deal with this quickly; Ares had managed to get married behind Hera’s back, after all, so Persephone figured she’d be able to talk Aglaea into doing a similar favor.

Instead, she is informed that Aglaea no longer works for the Marriage Bureau, and another Grace ushers her into Hera’s office.

The golden goddess is fully into her ‘jaded waif with an eating disorder’ routine that she always gets into when she mopes. She glares up at Persephone through a cloud of cigarette smoke, her mascara running freely down her face.

“I’m sorry…you are asking for a divorce from the love of your life, right when you’re expecting your fourth child? Am I supposed to believe this?”

Persephone covers her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and glares back. “You of all people should know why I’m doing this.”

“That relationship ended before he even met you. You are being unreasonable.”

“Did it end, Hera? Or was it just put on the back burner while he pursued something more socially acceptable?”

“I don’t have time to debate semantics with a spoiled little goddess that still hasn’t reached her first century. You’re pregnant, you’re hormonal, and you’re angry. Go home and go to family therapy; don’t come crying to me for a divorce you’ll regret.”

Persephone leaves the room without pushing the matter any further. Hera’s obviously trying to distance herself from the tape as much as possible; if she granted Persephone’s request for a divorce from Hades at this point in time, that would just call her character into even more question. Persephone gets it; she’s pissed off, but she gets it.

However, she still can’t stomach the idea of being in the same house as Hades right now, so, when she returns to the Underworld, she heads straight for her old apartment.

She doesn’t know what she was expecting when she got there - an empty apartment, possibly some junk mail to sort through. She had hoped against hope to see an elegant purple god leaning against her apartment door, gazing up at her through long lashes and telling her she looks like shit.

Instead, Hermes tightly hugs her. “I’m sorry, Pers,” he says. “I figured that this would be better if it came from a friend.” And then he serves her a manila envelope containing Hades’ divorce papers.

She thinks that maybe Hades went through a firm in the Underworld at first, but that is definitely Hera’s letterhead and signature on the paperwork. Leave it to Hera to let her favorite get the first lick in.

Persephone examines the paperwork at length, and then takes out her phone for a text.

Me: I have an urgent legal matter and I need your advice. Would you be able to meet me tonight, in the usual location?

…

Purple Pain In My Ass: I’m on my way.

***

Forty-five minutes later, a purple bearded dragon crawls through the window Persephone had left open to get some air. He skitters throughout the apartment, checking to make sure there are no bugs or magically transformed spies to hear them, while she closes the window behind him and draws the blinds. Once they’re sure nobody is watching or listening, he climbs into one of Persephone’s dining room chairs, and in an instant, he becomes the handsome Ex-King of the Gods, still dressed in his white suit from work.

“What’s your urgent legal matter, Seph?”

She hands him the paperwork as answer, and he goes into a concentrated work mode. A smile makes its way to her face despite the gravity of the situation; she’s never seen Zeus so focused. There have been hints, here and there, that he’s a great deal more savvy than he lets on, but this…chewing absently on a pen he produced from his shirt pocket, writing notes in the margins every now and then for alterations, the furrow in his brow…

“You like what you see?” he asks without looking up at her.

She feels her own eyes widen, then chuckles despite herself. “You aren’t often this serious; it’s interesting.”

His eyelashes flutter up toward her in that way that makes butterflies develop in her stomach. “An…attractive, sort of interesting?”

She glares playfully back. “Business before pleasure; I’m not answering that question until I get your opinion on those papers.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that,” Zeus pouts briefly, before handing the papers back. “Well, it seems pretty solid, so far. If I were your attorney, I’d fight for you to retain your shares in Underworld Incorporated on top of your half of the real estate and personal belongings. I also noticed it makes no mention of your title as Dread Queen of the Underworld?”

“That was a title I obtained through a deal with Erebus, not by marrying Hades.”

“Ah, so you are two sovereign rulers of two separate states, the boundaries between which have not been clearly delineated?” Zeus’ eyes glitter mischievously. “I could do a lot of damage with that set-up, if I was your lawyer. Sadly, given the potential conflict of interest, I think I’ll have to recommend you to a friend of mine…she’s got a cutthroat courtroom manner, though, so she’ll get you everything you want.”

“Of that I have no doubt,” Persephone replies. “But the item I most required your input on was the question of child custody.”

Zeus blinks. “Child…oh right, you’re…right.” He takes the papers back, and peruses them carefully, before handing them back without even taking any notes. “Unless you have a problem with joint custody, alternating holidays, and fully paid parental medical care, I think he’s offering you a fair deal.”

Persephone narrows her eyes. “So…that’s it? You’re just going to let another man raise your child, again?”

He shrugs. “It’s not like I haven’t raised his for him. And it’s not like I don’t have a hundred kids out there whose names I don’t even know; seems like a fair deal to me.”

She studies him for a moment, his suddenly guarded body language, his studiously casual eye contact, the stillness of his posture when he had been so active and buoyant a minute ago.

“Zeus…when was the last time you held one of your babies?”

He squints at her. “Where are you going with this?”

“Just.” Persephone folds her hands and presses them to her mouth, trying to think of how to put her feelings into words. “When I helped you deliver Dionysus, I was…gods, I was so young, not even thirty. Stupid. I hadn’t had my own kids yet, I didn’t know what…what it was like to carry them for so long, and to finally, finally, be able to hold them, meet them, name them.”

The damned hormones threaten to conquer her eyes and throat, and she takes a deep breath to avoid crying; when she opens her eyes again, she’s too afraid to look Zeus in the eye, so instead she gazes at her hands.

“I owe you an apology. I…I didn’t even let you hold little Dio. I was so…arrogant and stupid, and I thought I knew so much more about everything than everybody else, particularly you, and I just…took your baby, and didn’t let you hold…”

Before the dam breaks, she is encompassed in a warm embrace; he smells of passionfruit, and ozone, and the clean smell of wet grass that lingers after a rainstorm. He holds her until she can breathe freely again, whispering soothing noises against her hair. “It’s all right, Seph,” he says after her emotions have died down a bit. “You were right in that it would have been terribly insensitive of me to drop the poor kid on some unsuspecting nymphs. In the end, I’m glad you took him; you gave him a far better home than I could offer him at the time.”

“But I didn’t let you have any say in the matter,” she says, pulling away, cupping his face with one hand. “And I can’t go back and fix that mistake; but I can try not to make it again. This baby is half yours; ideally, how much time do you want to spend with them?”

Zeus blinks away tears of his own. “Ideally? I want to spend all my time with them; I want to watch them grow up like I did with Hebe. But it’s not realistic for me to ask for that, Seph…”

“Why not? I can admit that it’s not Hades’ baby and demand full custody.”

“That would mean admitting you had an affair, and it would make the proceedings so much more complicated…”

“I could just bring up his own infidelity; I’m sure I could find some proof.”

“You have no proof that they were involved past Hebe’s conception. It would only make the divorce more vindictive, and there’s every chance he’ll turn your other children against you.”

“But-“

Zeus places his hands on her shoulders, and meets her eyes grimly. “You deserve a clean break, Seph. I don’t want to ruin that for you like…like I ruin everything else.”

They stare at each other miserably for a few seconds, before he reaches to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, retrieving one of her sprouts as he does. “Is this…a holm oak acorn?”

She nods, wiping at her dripping mascara with one hand. “I was only growing blossoms on…on that night, but…well, with Macaria, I was sprouting nightshade berries. It’s how I knew for certain that this one is yours.”

He turns the acorn over in his fingers, gazing at it almost reverently. “…The last time I ever held one of my babies was little Dio, when Semele died. I performed the C-section myself.” Static electricity crackles dully through his hair, his gray eyes leagues away. “He was…so very tiny. It was all I could do to keep his heart beating and his lungs breathing, at least until he was safe…” and then he pauses, sparks flying behind those same intelligent eyes. “Come to think of it…I might just have a third option out of this quandary.”

“I’m listening.”

“…there’s a good chance it will be hard for you, for both of us, so you have to be sure…”

“Zeus.” She kisses him softly. “I trust you. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

***

“All right,” Zeus says later as he enters her bedroom. “How do you want to go about this?”

It’s almost funny; his tone hasn’t changed from the professional manner he’s maintained over the past couple of hours, when they’ve been discussing alterations to the divorce decree over a hastily-ordered pizza and ginger beer. He’s in her room, he’s on her bed, he fully intends to sleep with her again, but there’s none of his typical flirtatious, spontaneous demeanor.

“Do you…want to do this?” she asks, as he begins to undress in a calm, almost clinical fashion; no fluttering eyelashes, no calculated seductive maneuvers, just straight to business.

“Of course! Why would you think I wouldn’t?”

“I dunno, it’s just…you’re normally more relaxed than this…” Her own words slap her upside the head, as she realizes exactly what’s up with him. “You’re nervous, aren’t you?”

He blinks. “Me? Nervous? Are you kidding?”

The lightbulb on the wall flickers treacherously, and she points at it in answer.

“That doesn’t mean anything, you just need to change the bulb.”

“It’s funny, I actually changed that bulb today.”

“Well then you need to fix your light fixtures.”

She sidles slowly into his space. “You’re nervous~”

“I am not,” Zeus insists, a bit of a whine stealing into his voice as he subconsciously backs against the bed, and reflexively sits down.

“Yes you are.” Persephone stands between his legs, and casually throws her arms over his shoulders. “What’s got you so nervous, beautiful?”

He blushes indigo at the compliment, and suddenly he is the most adorable thing she has ever seen. She captures his lips in hers, and steps forward, gently pushing him backwards until he’s lying on his back beneath her. He doesn’t resist…in fact, he pulls her closer, pulling at the zipper on the back of her dress while she tries to divest him of his shirt and kiss his neck at the same time.

“Seph,” he breathes in her ear. “I’ve never done this before. I don’t know if it will work.”

“Hmm?” She pulls away only enough to frown quizzically. “I thought you did this to have little Dio, didn’t you?”

“Yes, but…Semele was dead. It was a surgery, not…not this. I’ve never done a transplant with a living partner before…in theory it will work, but…”

She places one hand on each side of his head and pushes herself up to regard him. “Zeus…I meant it when I said I trust you.”

“…others have trusted me before.”

His eyes avoid hers, and Persephone sits up completely. “You don’t have to force yourself to do this, Zeus. If you’re uncomfortable, let’s stop.”

She moves to get off of him, but his hands rest on her hips before she can get far. “I don’t want to stop. Gods, Seph, I want this, I want this so fucking much, but…we just, need to go slow, okay? I need to focus.”

Persephone smiles down at him. “Okay; slow it is.” She looks at him, still in his work shirt, his face flushed, his hair spread out behind him in a wide semicircle, and sighs. “You are, so, beautiful.”

He grins dazedly. “Then I’m in good company.”

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[high-infidelity-series]

Illicit Affairs - Chapter 6

The scarlet vines sprout in earnest this time, and they refuse to be combed out. Persephone tries and fails, then gives up as her hair starts growing too fast for her to even brush. She takes the scissors and begins to hack the hair and plant life away, but Minthe takes the blades away from her.

The red nymph glares back when Persephone sets angry crimson eyes upon her. “Don’t argue with me. You look like you’re one intrusive thought away from stabbing yourself. I can do it.”

“…that’s rich, coming from you,” she nods at the nymph’s hair, which has fully transformed into deep globules of muddy water.

“Yeah, well…I need to cut something, and my hair won’t be cut right now.” Minthe takes the clippers and chops at Persephone’s hair. “Damn, this is satisfying.”

When Ares wakes up that morning, he finds them in the bathroom still, the hair clogging several trash bags. Minthe has managed to calm down a bit; Persephone has…detached, and looks up at Ares with distant red eyes.

Ares blinks. “You know, as hot as the both of you are when you’re mad, I really think that sleep would have been better for you than…whatever you’re doing right now.”

“We think Hades might have had something to do with what happened to Echo,” Minthe states.

“…what?”

“There was a leak from Zeus’ office…the footage of the talk about you and your siblings’ parentage? It’s all over the tabloids. Echo might have been the one to leak it.”

“…oh. Yeah, that’s…awful, but…why would you think Hades would be involved?”

Persephone watches her own face in the mirror, as a scarlet vine climbs down her cheek from her bangs. “He and Hecate ripped out a paparazzo’s eye for taking a picture of me, once.”

The others are silent for a few moments, and then Ares stands in front of the mirror, bending down so that Persephone’s eyes meet his. “Percy, I’m going to need you to focus on me, here. We’re going to get you some breakfast, and then you’re going straight to bed. Okay?”

“Not hungry.”

“Okay?” Ares repeats.

“…Okay.”

“Okay. Now, I’m going to take your hands, and you’re going to keep focusing on my eyes.”

He leads her out into the kitchen, and sits across from her, pouring out a bowl of Barley Mother cereal while she watches.

“I’m sorry,” Minthe’s voice drifts through Persephone’s ears like it’s coming from underwater. “I didn’t want to show her the headline, but she insisted she could handle it.”

“And she can,” Ares replies without breaking eye contact; he can calm or inflame emotions with a look, and damn, if he isn’t trying his hardest to help her calm down right now. “She’s doing a great job, a better job than I would do, that’s for sure. She just needs to focus on something constructive before she self-destructs, and you did a great job helping her do that.”

He sets the bowl in front of Persephone, and she grimaces. “Not hungry.” Her stomach growls in disagreement.

“…I can help you, if you need it.”

“Not a baby,” she mutters, taking the spoon…only to find she’s bent it in half without trying.

Ares holds out his hand, bends the spoon back into place, and hands it back to her. “I’m right here. Just focus on me, all right? One spoonful at a time.”

There’s a knock at the door. “I’ll get it,” Minthe says from somewhere behind her, and Persephone keeps focusing on Ares’ eyes as she lifts a spoonful of cereal to her mouth and eats it. She barely tastes anything.

“No, you can’t go in there, she is not well…”

“She is my WIFE, I’ve helped her through fits like this before!”

And then Hades pushes into Persephone’s line of sight. She loses focus on Ares’ eyes, and everything goes red.

When her vision clears, Ares has her wrestled against a wall. She can see Hades over his shoulder, leaning against the kitchen counter, gasping for breath; Minthe stands beside him, cutting red vines away from his neck with a knife.

Persephone licks her dry lips. “Echo. What did you do to Echo?”

Hades stares at her like she’s speaking Latin. “What does Echo have to do with this?”

“Hera’s girlfriend,” Persephone snarls. “She caught you two together, didn’t she? And you ripped her tongue out for it.”

Hades pales. “Her…her tongue?”

…he’s not as good at lying as Zeus is. If he had been involved, he wouldn’t have been stupid enough to show up here.

“Get out of my house.”

At one point, the kicked-dog expression that crosses Hades’ face would have broken her heart. But her heart has already been broken for months; this is just the culmination of everything she’s been suppressing since that night.

“Sweetness…please-”

“I said, get out of my house.”

Hades glances at Minthe, who jabs sharply at the door with the hand holding the knife. And then, the King of the Underworld slinks out, in defeat once again.

With him gone, Persephone all but collapses into Ares’ arms, sobbing wordlessly. She doesn’t resist when she’s picked up and carried into her bedroom, and tucked into the unused side of her double bed. When Minthe brings a cup of water to her lips, she sips without protest; crying in the way she’s doing dehydrates quickly, after all.

The red nymph pulls a vine out of Persephone’s hair in an affectionate gesture that would have been out of place coming from her, if it had been fifty years ago. “…you should’ve turned his scrawny old man ass into a dill weed,” Minthe says.

Completely startled, Persephone almost laughs. “What…like he isn’t one already?”

“There you are,” Minthe smiles, and from his station at the foot of the bed, Ares breathes a sigh of relief. “We’ve got you, Princess,” Minthe says with the tone of one who has offered comfort after many nightmares. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

Persephone nods, and drops into a light, dreamless sleep.

***

That afternoon, the Underworld sends an agent to conduct its own investigation into the assault on Echo. Persephone would have expected Hecate to do this job herself, but no…Hecate’s a chess-master. She probably heard that Persephone attacked her own husband, and correctly deduced that as Hades’ business partner, she could expect the same treatment. So instead, she sends her apprentice, also correctly deducing that Persephone would never lay a hand on her own daughter.

Melinoë shows up in a light pink peplos that matches her eyes, her blue-white hair tied up in one of the latest styles for Grecian ladies. She doesn’t appear to the naked mortal eye like the fearsome Ghost Princess of the Underworld, and that often plays in her favor, especially when she’s on relatively peaceful business like this.

Echo is awake when she arrives, bundled up in as many blankets as Ares can find. Melinoë kneels down beside her to speak.

“Do you speak sign language?” the princess asks, signing along with her speech just in case.

And that’s when the blue nymph does something that nobody expected: she opens her mouth, and sound comes out. “…speak sign language?”

It’s not Echo’s voice, it’s Melinoë’s. And Echo’s lips don’t move as they should when speaking; instead they just, open, and sound comes out, like her mouth is a radio receiver.

Melinoe’s lips set grimly. “Can you tell us who did this to you?”

“…did this to you?” Echo repeats, then shakes her head sadly.

***

«Whoever did this used her tongue in some sort of spell to silence her permanently,» Melinoë says later, her pink irises glowing red. She doesn’t bother speaking aloud along with her signing, which is so fast that even her mother struggles to keep up with it.

Persephone takes a deep breath; Mel is as mad as she is, so it’s unlikely she had anything to do with Echo’s maiming. «I hate to ask this,» she signs, since Melinoë left her hearing aides in the Underworld as per protocol and Persephone doesn’t want her to rely on lip-reading, «but could Hecate have had something to do with it?»

Mel shakes her head vehemently. «She and I were working together all last night; we didn’t even see the tabloid article until after Dad came home.»

So Hecate had an alibi, which confirms Persephone’s suspicion that Hades had nothing to do with it. That leaves…Hera.

«What happened between you and Dad, anyway?» Melinoë asks, now that she’s calmed down a bit. «He’s been brooding in his office all day, and hasn’t spoken a word. And you’re…Mom, you look awful. What’s going on?»

Persephone lovingly brushes a lock of hair behind her daughter’s ear. «We’re having a bit of a rough patch, but you shouldn’t worry about it.»

Mel narrows her eyes. «Mom, this is going to blow back on us somehow, whether you and Dad resolve it or not. I think we deserve to know what is going on.»

Persephone closes her eyes and breathes before resuming her signing. «…Have you seen the video on the Weekly Nark?»

«…I have, but Mom, Hebe was born six years before you and Dad met. I doubt he was cheating on you.»

«…you remember how long it took for us to conceive Mac, right? How many miscarriages I had?»

Melinoë nods; they’d tried to keep the painful process from her when she was a child, but they could not keep her from talking to the ghosts.

«And that was when we were trying to have a baby the old-fashioned way. It wasn’t just a, ‘whoopsie the condom broke’ sort of thing, that pregnancy was the result of years of concerted effort. Which means that, for Hera and him to have five children together, they had to be sleeping together almost constantly throughout the years. And when I talked to him about them before we got married, he led me to believe that they had just had a fling right after the Titanomachy and nothing more.» She does not say that she has witnessed them cheating firsthand in the present day, because that would bring up the question of why she did not confront them then and there…or, for that matter, where she went after she left the house without confronting them.

«…yeah, okay, that’s…that’s a huge breach of trust,» Melinoë concedes. «So…are you guys going to be okay?»

«…I don’t know.» Persephone doesn’t think they will, but she doesn’t want to say that to their daughter until she’s absolutely sure.

«…Okay.» Mel grits her teeth, thinking. «Assuming that Hera has something to do with this…we could be in a lot of danger if we decide to oppose her. She’s the Queen of Olympus by right of mortal combat; only a unanimous vote by the Twelve Olympians will potentially dethrone her. And she just removed one of the most powerful witnesses we could have produced as proof of her misconduct. So…we’re gonna have to be careful.»

Persephone nods. «We can count on Dionysus, Demeter, and Ares to vote with us…I can call Artemis. I’m pretty sure Hephaestus will listen to Ares, and Aphrodite will listen to Hephaestus. Mother can talk to Hestia; Hermes is going to be…»

«I’ll talk to Hecate, and she’ll talk to Hermes. Hera will have to recuse herself if the vote directly concerns her, so that leaves…Zeus, Athena, and Poseidon.» Melinoë sucks her teeth. «Zeus will probably vote against Hera to spite her, and Athena always votes with Zeus. That leaves Poseidon, who…basically can always be counted upon to vote against Athena.»

Persephone smiles. «Leave that to your grandmother.»

***

“If you vote against Hera, I’ll stop pestering you about the back child support you owe me for Arion.”

“The dude is a HORSE! How much child support could you possibly need?”

“LIKE I SAID, I will NOT be pestering you for the back child support, PLUS THREE THOUSAND YEARS’ INTEREST, that you STILL owe me because you are a deadbeat, IF you vote against Hera!”

“You are literally using child support, FOR A HORSE, to blackmail me!”

“This isn’t blackmail, this is societal pressure.”

“I AM BEING REPRESSED!”

“I WILL TELL AMPHITRITE YOU ARE BEING A LITTLE BITCH ABOUT THIS AND MAKE YOUR POLYCULE BOYCOTT YOU!”

“FINE! Irritating woman.”

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