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The souls in Elysium smiled warmly at them as they walked through one of the villages. They tended to keep to themselves and never approached the goddesses at all unless invited to. Elysium was like walking about an ancient Greek town with better views, lush gardens and trees, and its own ocean.
The most modern part was the villa Hades had built for Persephone during her convalescence. It was next to the ocean, like their house in Styx, because neither wanted to be away from it. The warm, deep salt pools were a short walk away, and Persephone went there every day.
A woman dressed in black was sitting next to a marble herm at the crossroads, waiting for them. Persephone had found it hilarious that there were small statues of Hermes in the Underworld when she had first arrived.
Hades had explained that most of the humans in Elysium were from ancient times and that herms were used as signposts to show them the way. Hermes had tried to convince her that rubbing the dick on the statue was good luck. Persephone thought Hermes was just being Hermes until Medea pointed out that humans actually used to believe it.
"I didn't expect to see you today," Persephone said and kissed the other woman's cheek in greeting. Medea had become less intense since getting her revenge on Darius Drakos. Erebus claimed it was because of all the orgasms she was now getting. Medea had threatened to turn him into a toad for his nonsense, but everyone knew she didn't mean it.
"I was bored and wanted to swim. Also, Hecate claimed that you might want to complain to someone who has been pregnant and can sympathize," Medea replied, a smile dancing about her lips.
Persephone raised a brow at Hecate. "Is my complaining getting to you that much?"
"She might be able to offer a suggestion on how to fix your swollen ankles," Hecate replied, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
"There's no fixing it," Medea replied bluntly. "Not until the babies are out of you. Get Hades to rub them for you."
"He does every night because I'm sore everywhere."
Persephone thought Medea would be the last person to offer help and advice regarding her pregnancy. After seeing her own children murdered, Medea rarely talked to anyone about them. When she learned Persephone was pregnant, she offered to help her in any way that she could.
Medea still felt like she owed them all a debt for rescuing her from Darius and then giving her the opportunity to kill him. Persephone was just glad to see her smile once in a while.
The three women walked down the small path and onto the glittering sands.
"Hades really likes to outdo himself with the weather here," Medea commented, tilting her face to the sun.
Hecate laughed softly. "I think you will find the weather matches whatever Persephone wants that day."
Persephone nudged her with her shoulder. "I don't think that's true."
"It is. You remember the huge storm last week because you were having a bad day?"
"I..." Persephone paused and realized Hecate was right. "I never would have put that together. That man." Persephone's heart expanded, thinking of such a touching gesture.
"He wants to make it easier on you. Are you missing running the company at all?" Medea asked.
"Not really. It was always Demeter's, which is why I was starting to move it under Acheron's banner in the first place. It's only been four weeks. I'm sure the holiday mode will get tiresome," Persephone replied.
She was actually feeling guilty about not missing it more. She thought she would resent not having control over it or that oversight that made her feel the rush of doing good deals. She didn't. If she wanted to work, she oversaw things in Elysium. She had offered to check in on Pandora, but Hades had forbidden her from going into Tartarus. There were things there that could break someone's mind, and they would happily suck her brains out for fun if Hades weren't with her. She hadn't pushed it.
Elysium was beautiful, and she was enjoying going through the library there. She was starting to see why Charon had so many books. The dead had many stories to tell.
The rock pools were surrounded by trees and were fed from underground springs and an inlet in the ocean. It was the perfect temperature that wasn't harmful to the babies and the only relief Persephone could get. They stripped off their clothes, and Hecate and Medea helped her down the slippery rocks and into the water. The salt content was high enough that she bobbed weightlessly.
"There are worse places to be," Persephone said, rubbing her hands over her swollen stomach. One of the babies kicked her in the ribs, making her gasp.
"I love you, but if you do that again, there's going to be trouble," she threatened. Medea and Hecate laughed at her. Medea had brought down an amphora of wine with her, and Persephone scowled as they passed it between them. She missed wine.
"Don't pout. Those kids will be out of you soon enough, and you'll have your body back," Hecate said, noticing her sad face.
Medea laughed loudly. "Don't lie to her. Her body is never going to be the same again." Medea pointed to the stretch marks amongst her other scars. It had taken her a long time to be comfortable showing them to anyone, and Persephone knew she still struggled with them some days.
"Those are there because they appeared before your immortality kicked in," Hecate replied. "Persephone is an immortal. She will bounce back."
"I'm not too worried about them just yet. Hades won't care," Persephone replied.
"He won't. If anything, he gets more doe-eyed every day. It's kind of pathetic, really," Hecate teased.
