Abaddon: The Story of Persephone and Hades

Persephone

"Wake up! Wake up!"

I spring out of bed, eyes heavy with a desire for more sleep. "Evadne! Don't scare me like that!"

"Well, the ceremony is in a few hours. You need to have a nuptial bath, Persephone. Up with you!" She pulls the bedsheets off of me and I reluctantly, suddenly cold from the wintery air flowing through the castle, slip out of bed. "I already have the water warmed for you. It came from the Enipeas river."

"From Olympus?" My arms are wrapped around me, trying to keep heat intact. I swear, it gets colder in the Underworld as each day passes.

Evadne nods as she ushers me to the washing room. "Yes, we keep Greek traditions alive in the Underworld. Isn't that absurd?" she jokes.

I slip into the bubbly water and watch as steam rises from it. A smile instantly crawls across my face as I'm no longer cold. This bath is a tradition that symbolizes purification and fertility. Thank the gods that the sacrifice wasn't made today in lew of the wedding. I've never liked that tradition and specifically asked to cancel the sacrifice. Anyway, Evadne makes sure that this bath is relaxing by using the finest soaps, salts, and perfumes I've ever seen. The bath immediately warms me up and the bubbles rise to my chin.

"Have you spoken to Hades today?" I ask Evadne as she scrubs my hair with a lavender-scented shampoo.

"Of course," she replies happily as she rinses my hair with the warm water. "He's very anxious to see you." At the thought of that, I hear blood rushing to my ears. My stomach is knotting and I suddenly feel woozy. "Persephone, is something wrong?"

I take a deep breath to bring myself back to reality. "Everything is perfect."

"Hmm." She finishes washing me up and leaves me a towel to dry myself with. After I'm dry, Evadne offers me a silk robe, which I tie around myself, and she gets to work on my hair. It's also a Hellenic tradition for the bride to cut her hair before the ceremony. I've never really had a genuine haircut, so this will be something to get used to.

My hands moisten as I watch Evadne cut my hair until it's a little past my shoulders. My stomach is in knots as I wonder if everyone will like my new haircut.

"How does it look?" I ask warily, refusing to look at the mirror when Evadne finishes cutting my hair.

"Darling, you look beautiful."

I pop open my eyes and gasp when I see my reflection. It's true that I look more mature. It's not too short or too long, and I'm quite sure that I love it.

Now confident, I watch my reflection in the mirror while Evadne pins locks of hair up and pins fresh flowers in with my hair, too. All the while, I wonder what Hades is doing right now. Is he as nervous as I am? 

"You look breathtaking!" Evadne exclaims as she perfects my hair before she paints my lips a soft pinkish shade. I try not to smile or else I'd mess up the makeup. "Hades is going to faint when he sees you."

Evadne steps away from me to examine me. Meanwhile, I take the time to glance at myself in the mirror. I made a hairpiece out of white flowers and they're intertwined with my curled hair. I've never really seen myself with makeup on, but today's the day I experience that. Evadne has been smothering me with compliments all morning.

"Why do my eyelashes seem so long?" I wonder aloud, tilting my head to the side as my eyes are still fixed on my own reflection. 

"The power of makeup!" Evadne laughs, applying some powder to my cheeks with her nimble fingers. "Now, let's get you into that dress!"

I untie the silk robe and allow Evadne to help me pull the white dress on. The fact that this is actually happening is surreal to me. I never thought that I'd someday choose the man I marry, to live where I want, and how I want. I never thought that I'd be wearing such a beautiful white dress or that I'd be ruling over the Underworld.