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“Does it ever tire you to play such clashing personalities?” she muttered under her breath.
Thanatos stood up and walked over to her, placing his hands on the armrests of her chair as he leaned forward to look into her eyes.
“It only tires me when you do not heed my infinite wisdom and advice. It can be exhausting to be right all the time. One day you will listen to me and know this as I know it. I am smarter than all of you, most especially Hecate.” He winked at her before placing a kiss on her forehead, fading away into the shadows before she could reply.
***
Devon stood in the middle of the forest he had created, turning to take in the lush green foliage and strong sturdy trees. What his power had both destroyed and given life to, which told him he was more than capable of healing himself.
He shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked through the trees, touching the bark and leaves, taking in and accepting what he was capable of. It was not darkness that came from him, but new life. New beginnings. Just as Persephone had told him not very long ago when he only saw the end.
After hours of wandering, he stopped below a tree and looked up to find it full of perfectly ripe apples. He smiled, grabbing one of the low hanging fruits and sat down at the base of the trunk to enjoy it, remembering times in his youth when he would sit under a tree just like this with his father, perfectly content to enjoy nature in all its beauty. He looked out over the land while enjoying his snack and noticed a small opening in the trees similar to the one his father had chosen to build their cabin on.
He stared at the spot as he finished his apple, placing the core to the earth and watching the ground absorb it, the grass growing greener where the core had been. Standing, he dusted his hands off before he moved to the open field and stood in the middle. As he turned to look at the trees surrounding it, he thought of when this was all over.
The battle that was on the horizon and the cabin he would build them once they had a moment of calm. One just like he grew up in, right in this clearing. A place of respite for him to find his way back to himself.
He would bring Persephone here and show her the one place he knew he could always find peace. A place he would use to heal his damaged soul.
The soul that knew the pain of centuries, but also knew the joy of having loved and been loved. Not by the fading faces of his lifetimes, but by the twin soul calling to him from the realm of the dead.
The beautiful Goddess who stood on the battlefield with him when he fell to his knees in loss and anger, and her the fallen angel that gave him hope. The woman who held the souls of his soldiers in her embrace and cared for them.
Her smile that told him that all would be well as the wind blew her beautiful black hair, the setting sun creating a glow around her porcelain skin.
She had stood beside him so many times, and yet he could only ever remember her. Never the lives of the men he had been.
He was, and had been for so very long, completely in love with her. A love that felt so much like hurt sometimes in its depth. In the way it could overwhelm and just as quickly bring the most beautiful peace.
After waiting for so long, he could finally physically hold her and be with her the way his past selves had only dreamed of.
The small moments of pure joy when he joined her for a mere moment in time as he took his last breath. When they looked upon her face as they moved into her world.
Everything was not perfect by any means, but he knew he had the power to make his world better. Maybe not in the way he needed yet, but he knew he was capable of getting there, and that in and of itself was a miracle to behold.
Piece by piece, he would get there.
He had let the darkness have him for too many years, ignoring the light that flickered in the void of his depression. He would run towards that light and bask in it, no matter how long of a run it was.
He was determined and refused to give up on himself any longer.
***
Persephone returned to her rooms after going out to check the gate of Tartarus and speaking with all the new guards her sisters had sequestered to the Underworld.
She knew she was trying to keep herself busy so she wouldn’t be tempted to bother Devon. He needed time to be alone with his thoughts, but it had been hours and she worried. She was actually surprised to find herself happy to handle the Furies and their unique methods of keeping themselves occupied. They could cause some extreme reactions if they chose not to stay in their part of the Underworld, as sometimes they became a bit overly enthusiastic in their work.
As she moved out of her business attire, she released her hair from her chignon and let the strands fall around her shoulders and back. She was in desperate need of some time spent relaxing in a warm bath, her muscles tight from the stress of the day, and her worry over Devon and his final decision.
She had received a report that members of the Senate had been asking around about the happenings in the mortal world in regard to the attempts on her domain.
Still no answers and no clues on the why and who of the attack.
The Moirai had all but disappeared, no longer taking calls from her or her sisters. They rarely left their domain in the sky. Not since the Great War of the humans and she knew their absence would soon turn into a war between them and Hera. Her sister was not the most patient on the best of days and as Archon, she had the power to detain the Moirai. Something none of them wanted to do, but just might have to.
Sitting on the edge of the tub, she filled it with water having decided on a blazing hot bath as opposed to a warm one. She ran her hand under the water and once it was almost too high for her to get in, she turned the knob and slipped in letting her muscles relax for the first time in days.
As she skimmed a hand along the top of the water, she smiled at the thought that Devon might actually be able to understand how important he is, how important he was becoming to her. Her thoughts moved to him frequently these days and soon she started to have lustful fantasies of the man. It was obviously time to get out of the tub before she took her imaginings any further.
