Masterpost of TLT metas
This is mostly for my own reference, as tagging doesn't seem to guarantee something being findable on Tumblr...but if you like wildly overthinking lesbian necromancers in space, enjoy!
Overthinking the Fifth House:
What is a "Speaker to the Dead"?
Actually, Magnus Quinn isn't terrible at sword fighting
Imperial complicity: Abigail the First
Pyschopomp: Abigail Pent and Hecate
Did Teacher conspire with Cytherea to kill the Fifth?
What does the Fifth House actually do?
The Fourth and the Fifth can never just be family
Cytherea's political observations at the anniversary dinner
Abigail Pent's affect: ghosts and autism
Were the Fourth wards of the Fifth?
Abigail probably knew most of the scions as children
Magnus Quinn's very understandable anger
Fifth House necromancy is not neat and tidy
Are Abigail and Magnus an exception to the exploitative nature of cavaliership?
"Abigail Pent literally brought her husband and look where that got her" (the Fifth in TUG)
The Fifth's relationship dynamic
The Fifth's relationship is unconventional in a number of ways
The queer-coding of Abigail and Magnus' relationship
Abigail and Palamedes, and knowing in the River
Was Isaac the ward of the Fifth?
Did Magnus manage to draw his sword before Cytherea killed him? (and why he probably had to watch his wife die)
How did Abigail know she was murdered by a Lyctor?
Fifth House necromancy is straight out of the Odyssey
The politics of the anniversary dinner
Was Magnus born outside of the Dominicus system?
Overthinking John Gaius:
The one time John was happy was playing Jesus
Is Alecto's body made from John's?
Are there atheists in the Nine Houses?
Why isn't John's daughter a necromancer?
The horrors of love go both ways: why John could have asked Alecto 'what have you done to me?'
Why M- may have really hoped John was on drugs
What is it with guys called Jo(h)n and getting disintegrated? (John and Dr Manhattan)
John's conference call with his CIA handlers
Watching your friend turn into an eldritch horror
Why does G1deon look so weird? (Jod regrew him from an arm)
When is a friendship bracelet not a friendship bracelet?
Why did John have G1deon hunt Harrow? (with bonus update)
The 'indelible' sin of Lyctorhood and John's shoddy plagiarism of Catholicism
Are John Gaius and Abigail Pent so different?
What was Jod's plan at Canaan House?
John and Ianthe tread the Eightfold path
The Mithraeum is more than a joke about cows
When was John Gaius born? (And another)
John Gaius and the tragic Orestes
John and Jesus writing sins in the sand
John and Nona's echoing chapters
John's motivations
Overthinking the Nine Houses:
'No retainers, no attendants, no domestics'
Funerary customs and the violence of John's silence
Juno Zeta and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad time
The horror of the River bubble
Every instance of 'is this how it happens' in HTN
Feudalism is still shitty even if you make it queer and sex positive
How do stele work?
Thought crime in the Nine Houses
The Houses have a population the size of Canada
What must it be like to fight the Houses?
You know what can't have been fun? Merv wing's megatruck on Varun day...
Augustine's very Catholic hobby (decorating skeletons)
Necromancers are not thin in a conventionally attractive way
Matching the Houses with the planets of the solar system
Why don't the Nine Houses have (consistent) vaccination or varifocals?
How would the Houses react to the deaths at Canaan House?
How does Wake understand her own name (languages over 10,000 years)
What pre-resurrection texts are known in the Houses?
Camilla and Palamedes very Platonic relationship
The horrors the Cohort found at Canaan House
Do the Houses understand the tech keeping them alive?
Overthinking House religion:
What do the Houses believe about death?
Was M's nun a Franciscan?
Cavaliership and arbitrary socio-religious structures
Ritual scarification
Sacraments and sacramentals
What did Silas think god wanted at Canaan House?
In defense of Silas
There's no such thing as a 'good' necro/cav relationship
Veiling and shaving in Ninth House cult practice
Tongue-in-cheek thoughts on Eighth and Sixth religion
A very long deep-dive on House belief and practice
Overthinking Harrowhark Nonagesimus:
'The meat of your meat...belonged to god' and 'that is how meat loves meat'
The horror of parental touch: Harrow, John Gaius, and Abigail Pent
Why is Harrow so obsessed with Abigail's hands?
Frontline Titties of the Fifth and transgressive necro/cav relationships
Harrow, Wake, and permeability of the soul in HTN
Bible studies for weird queer necromancers:
Epiphany: revealing god's child to the wider world
The Holy Innocents and the creche massacre
The Virgin Mary and Commander Wake
John Gaius and John the Baptist
Instantiating the Trinity and the Second Resurrection
What's the significance of Paul?
St Paul's theology of gender and sexuality and the House theology of cavaliership
Maundy Thursday: consuming another for eternal life
Harrow and the Harrowing of Hell
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obsessed
leo valdez x daughter of hecate reader
a/n: calypso is nice in this one, reader is vv insecure (self-projecting lol), also ending was kinda rushed bc i didn't know how to finish it, also not proofread :)
song: obsessed - olivia rodrigo
(calypso is a pisces for the plot)
La-da-da-da, da-da-da, la-da-da-da-da
La-da-da-da, da-da-da
when leo and calypso broke up, the entirety of camp half-blood was flabbergasted. why wouldn't they be? leo had literally sworn on the river styx for calypso, dying and resurrecting for her then rescuing from her cursed island. the perfect couple.
however, what camp half-blood didn't know was the reason behind the breakup: you. while leo did truly like calypso, deep down, he always knew that you, his best friend, had a special place in his heart.
after leo and you got together officially, rumours starting spiralling about how you'd used 'black magic' to capture leo's love and the matching sun and moon necklaces that you two always wore was cursed or something??? you'd always thought these rumours were ridiculous; you'd literally gotten him the necklace before he'd even known calypso.
Cause I know her star sign, I know her blood type
I've seen every movie she's been in and, oh god, she's beautiful
but naturally, although you'd never admit it, you were insecure. calypso was smart, funny and beautiful. she was a goddess for gods sake. you tried to push those negative thoughts down, the thoughts that fed the growing monster that was jealousy inside of you. you were obsessed with her.
you literally had a star sign chart featuring her and leo's signs and their compatibility rates. they were so compatible, perfect for each other. being a daughter of hecate and all, you took these things very seriously. but you could never let leo know. what would he think of you then? you didn't want to lose him more. so everytime he would hangout with you in your cabin, you made sure to cast the Mist over your charts, disguising them or making them appear as though they were nothing.
She's talented, she's good with kids
She even speaks kindly about me, ha-huh
hoping to break the good girl image everyone had of her, you always dreamed of catching her slipping up and badmouthing you.
like right now.
you'd been heading back to your cabin after dinner when you heard the voices of Calypso and her friends. you were ready to stear clear and hopefully go around them without catching attention but as you neared them, you realised they were talking about you???
you quickly shrouded yourself in the Mist and crept closer. eavesdropping probably wasn't the best idea but you were determined to prove that she wasn't the good girl everyone thought she was.
"girl, have you seen leo's new girlfriend?" you heard one of her friends snicker. your heart picked up its pace and your ears strained to hear more.
"there's no way he'd rather be with a witch than you calypso, who in their right mind would do that?"
your heart plummeted when you heard calypso sigh, "guys, i've moved on, leo's moved on so there's really no point in badmouthing y/n. also, she is one of the sweetest people ive met. please don't think so lowly of her."
needless to say, you slunk ashamedly back to your cabin.
But I can't help it, I got issues, I can't help it, baby
you couldn't sleep.
couldn't stop comparing yourself to her, couldn't stop doubting why leo could possibly leave her for u.
they were perfect together, like warm flames embracing the smoldering logs in a fireplace on a cold winter's day. but you? you were nothing. you were like the useless mantelpiece above the fireplace, watching on as the flames danced to their full potential.
so you decided it would be best to break up with him
coming to a cold, hard conclusion, you swung yourself out of bed and out of your cabin, and headed towards bunker 9, where undoubtedly, your hardworking boyfriend would be slaving away at the forges.
upon hearing you arrive, leo dropped his work with a clatter and pushed his hair out of his eyes. "baby!" he sang, making his way towards you. "look what i - "
"leo," you interrupted. he looked so excited, eyes brimming with love and enthusiasm, looking at you like were the most beautiful piece of art in the world. you almost stopped yourself from saying your next words but - "leo, i want to break up"
he came to a halt before you. "w-what? did i do something wrong? i'll fix it please, please, please don't do this. just tell me what's wrong? i love you baby please."
you could feel your heart shatter at the sight before you. eyes wide with uncertainty and face full of confusion, the upset on leo's face made you want to turn back time take back your words.
"leo, im so sorry. i love you so much too but, i'm so obsessed with your ex. i feel like a fucking creep! i can't help but think that we're not meant to be and calypso is perfect for you." you managed, chest aching, desperate for something to hold onto, to cling onto. "you're wasting your time on me. i'm not worth it."
"aww baby," leo pulled his arms around you. you sobbed into his shoulder, not caring about how dirty your pajamas were going to be after this. "baby, please don't think like that. you're my forever girl. my one in a million lifetimes. and i love you for you."
you sobbed harder and leo's grip on you tightened. "mi vida, i swear on the river styx that i will try my hardest for you to never ever feel this way again. just promise me that you'll stay with me. i'll love only you, baby. promise."
and he kept it till his very last breath.
a/n pt2: ummm (idk what this is but i love leo soooo)
divider creds: @animatedglittergraphics-n-more
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The Queen's Going Away Party*
It's nearly time for Hades and Persephone to part once more. This is that story. But made kind of positive. This is purely a self indulgent fic. It's also an apology for not writing as much as I used to and for the horrendous title.
It's 4.5k words. There's some smut at the end, but it's mostly just Hades!Harry being grumpy as hell and Persephone trying to keep it together.
***
Hades, or Harry, looks at his wife across the table as she speaks with Thanatos to redefine the barriers of the incoming souls for the next day. “The grays,” she says softly, pointing at the map she’s made herself with parchment and ink, “must be spoken to after they’ve crossed the river Styx. I’ll speak with them as well to make sure they’re peaceful and not restless. Hopefully the abode we’ve made for them will keep them satiated and at bay for the day. Charon will be negotiated with later today as well.”
Persephone first introduced the idea of a “going away party” when she arrived back to Hades 6 months ago. She’d excitedly spoken about this new thing that mortals introduce where they celebrate goodbyes with drinks, food, music, and dance instead of sorrow and anguish. It's what she envisioned for her own departure. Now that it's actually happening, Harry isn’t so sure he’s all that excited about the idea.
“To go out with a big bang, as the mortals say,” she’d argued, fluttering around him as he walked away from her at the first mention of it. His fists were clenched, an odd tightness in his chest.
“I will not be celebrating you leaving the realm you belong in,” he’d said, avoiding her.
“I belong in two places, darling. And you’re not actually celebrating me leaving. You’re celebrating the promise that I’ll be back. And spring.”
He had rolled his eyes. “I’m not too keen on celebrating something I never experience. Nor care about.” He'd added the last part angrily and regretted it afterwards, but his wife was too worked up about other things to take offense.
She’d held her ground in front of him, her hands on his chest. She’d slammed the door shut to their room without looking and stared up at him angrily. “I don’t care that you don’t know what spring is. I don’t care that all you know is gloominess and darkness and ghosts. What I do care about is that when I’m leaving, I’ll want us to be enjoying ourselves. So fine. Don’t celebrate my leaving or spring or sunshine, but celebrate the amazing 6 months we’re about to have together.”
Hades had wrapped his hands around her biceps, picked her up, and set her aside. “I will not be happy that day no matter how many heroes and warriors and drinks you bring to this party. I will be mourning the loss of my wife, who I won’t see for the next 6 months.”
She trailed after him as he continued out of their room. Upon leaving, Hades had run into Hermes who had grinned and held a scroll, saying, “Your brother is pissed off. Guess which one?”
“Who invited you in?”
“Hecate of course. Hey, look. Guess the right brother and I’ll spin your queen a dress of pure gold.”
But Harry had waved Hermes away and called for Hecate to secure him somewhere out of his sight. He’d ignored the way Hermes had muttered, “Well, I don’t blame Zeus.” And normally, Harry would have very big problems with others coming in between his feud with his brothers, but he was too angry with his wife to care.
“Listen to me,” Persephone continued, stalking after him. “Why must we weep and suffer when I leave? I hate it too, so can’t we just try this? Something new? You know, the mortals seem to like it just fine.”
Hades stopped, turning to face his wife. “We,” he said quietly, angrily, “are not mortals. We experience emotions worse than them. My sorrow for my wife leaving me is nothing compared to anything a mortal would feel.”
She sighed, crossing her arms. “Let’s just try it. Just once. Let it be a parting gift. Look.” She brightened. “You can help me with the guest list.”
Hermes, being dragged away by Hecate by the scruff of his neck, had called over, “Allow me three plus ones, my King! I have three lovers currently!”
“Remove Hermes from the guest list considerations immediately.”
“You prick!”
“Just think about it,” Persephone insisted. “We have time. Do this for me.”
And Harry had given in. She’d asked so many times and promised so many things, he gave his consent two months in.
She looks beautiful across the table, putting the final touches for tomorrow. He hears her murmur. “Are the musicians ready? Good. And we’ve got all the answers to our invitations, correct? Remind me of who is attending?”
Thanatos goes into a long monologue of those invited. “Amongst the confirmed are Nyx, Eros, Psyche, Pan, Achilles, Hesphaestus, Artemis, Lethe, the Moirae, Adonis–”
“Not Adonis,” Harry groans, imagining the deity fawning over Persephone as he always does.
She just smiles. “It’ll be entertaining. It’s not as if half the invites won’t be falling at your feet.”
“Continue the list, Thanatos.”
“Yes, sir. Patroclus. Nemesis, Apate, though she is, er, in a spat with our mother. Harmonia, Hecate, Hermes, myself…” He continues on and on. Hades falls into a deeper pit of despair.
“Amongst the declined are Hypnos, Morpheus, Keres–”
“Why was Keres even invited?” Harry interrupts.
Persephone shrugs. “Formality. The gesture extends to Acheron, Macaria, Styx, and several others.”
“I see. Not too many of the annoying ones then.”
She laughs. “I made sure not to include them. After all, it’s a party not a riot.”
Thanatos stands from the table. “I’m off to speak to Charon about the souls then. I’ll give him several gold coins for his cooperation.”
“Shouldn’t we consider telling him to stop asking for gold for a trip across the river? It’s been millennia and we don’t even need the gold.”
Harry stands, walking over to take Thanatos’s place when the deity leaves. “It’s not about the money,” he says, sitting down. “It’s Charon who thrives from routine. He doesn’t believe in anything free either.”
“But can’t we be the ones giving him the gold?”
“I give him gold all the time and yet he still asks for coins.”
“I’ve had to ask Hecate to retrieve several wandering souls just this past week because they were unable to pay.”
Hades reaches over and tucks her hair behind her ear. It’s normally braided into a crown around her head, but she’s left it open this morning. He kisses her forehead and holds her hands, resting his head on hers. “I cannot find the words to express how much I’ll miss you,” he says softly, swallowing. “I find myself unable to dwell too long on it.”
He feels her warm hands squeeze his. “We’ve survived it before, haven’t we?”
“Yes but what if something happens this time? What if a new deity of destruction comes along and destroys the Kingdom and I’m left suffering without out?”
She laughs softly. “That will not happen. And you, my love, are far too strong to succumb to any baby deity. Remember when you thought Oizys was a threat to the Kingdom?”
“To be fair, she’s far more gloomy and miserable than I am and yet everyone only thinks of me when they’re talking of that nature.”
“Right. And besides, I highly doubt Nyx and Hecate will allow ruin to this realm. Especially Nyx. You know how passionate she gets about it.” His wife leans in and kisses his cheek gently. “And I will be back before you know it.”
“I tire of it,” Harry admits. “I tire of you leaving me for so long.”
“But don’t you love our reunions? It’s all I can think about when I’m in the mortal realm. The look on your face when I descend back to you.”
Harry holds her face and kisses her. “I could never do what you do. Be in two places. Two homes, both magnetic, pulling you apart. You are too strong.”
She laughs against his mouth. “My love, you rule a realm. The entirety of it. The world is on your shoulders, and yet you claim I am strong?”
“You are strong in ways I could never be. You are in pain more often than I am. Losing both your husband and your mother separately.” He closes his eyes. “Kore, I wish for you to have fun tomorrow. That’s all I want. Whatever you ask for, you shall have.”
She smiles, throwing her arms around his neck, climbing into his lap. She kisses him over and over, hard. “Oh how I love you,” she whispers, hugging him tight. “I’ll miss you so much.”
***
The next day, the entire palace is lively with music, guests, and decor. Hades finds his wife in the middle of all of it, happily chatting with the gods and goddesses. When Persephone first arrived in the Underworld, she had been a shy and ambitious goddess, ready to take on the task at hand. And over the thousands of years, she’s become the terrifying, beautiful queen that this realm always needed.
When he’d look over at her the first few years, he’d see the timid goddess everyone overlooked, trying to raise her voice high enough so people would actually hear her. Now, she’s a ball of light amongst the darkness, her glow radiating off her body to the corners of the palace, her laughter loud, her kindness bold.
Hades smiles as he takes a sip of his champagne. His heart aches. He wishes for her to stay.
She catches his eye. She looks ethereal in her dark dress, a true frightening queen. Her smile is wide as she holds her hand out and beckons him into the group. Nyx glances over at him, her daughter besides her. They both look at him with respect, but also sadness. They always do.
He takes Persephone’s hand. “Yes, my queen?”
“We were just talking about how it’s great that lovers are reunited at the party. We should host more events like these, hm?”
They all look over at Achilles and Patroclus deeply engaged in a heated discussion under the bright chandelier near the musicians. “Yes,” Harry says, “well, I do have to argue that they’re never truly parted as they live in the field together.”
“I cannot imagine being with the same person for my whole life,” Nyx says, taking a sip of her water. “Doesn’t it get, you know, repetitive? No offense to you two.”
Persephone shakes her head and laughs. “Oh do not worry, my friend. Well, the commitment is frightening, but it also proves to be tremendous amounts of fun.”
Harry wraps his arm around her. “She speaks the truth. And I’m positive that life also cannot get boring when you’re also ruling an entire realm.”
“And when your wife is gone half the year.” Everyone turns their cold eyes to the god who’s strutted up to their half circle. He throws a big arm over Apate’s shoulder.
“Ares,” Harry says, downing his drink. “How great of you to join us.”
Ares pushes his sunglasses down his nose and peers at them all with a grin. “Oh how could I miss the chance to be here. Look at all this festivity. I’m itching to wreak havoc, I can hardly contain myself.”
“Would you look at that?” Harry murmurs. “Hephaestus, my dear friend. How are you doing?”
Ares immediately stands straight and glances over his shoulder, swallowing. He finds nobody there, and Persephone giggles next to her husband, leaning her head on his shoulder.
“Prick,” Ares hisses, fixing his blond hair. “He’s not really here, is he?”
“Oh, he is.”
“Fuck.” His fists close and open in, what Harry thinks, is an attempt to ease his temper. He glances back at Persephone and Hades, giving them a slight bow. “My queen, I hope you enjoy your night. We eagerly await your return to the mortal lands.” And then he disappears.
Apate fixes the earring Ares ruffled, snickering. “How anybody could be afraid of Hephaestus is beyond me.”
“I’ve come to realize,” Hades says, “that he can be terrifying if provoked enough. And I for one do not plan on ever getting on his bad side.”
“Yes,” Persephone says, looping her arm around her husband’s. “But he cannot be more scary than you.”
He raises his eyebrows, holding her chin. “Is that so?”
“Well,” Nyx says, grabbing Apate who is watching the king and queen with wide, interested eyes. “We’ll be off to join the party then. We will, of course, be here to see you off in the morning, so there’s no need for goodbyes just yet.”
“But Ma–” Apate sighs as she’s being dragged away. Persephone laughs.
“How are you finding the party?” Harry asks her, pulling her along until she’s standing in front of him. The gld lights shimmer in her eyes, her pretty lips in a smile.
“I’m enjoying myself greatly.” She sets her champagne glass next to Harry’s on a nearby table and then loops her arms around his neck. “And yourself?”
“I’m enjoying it a lot more than I expected. We haven’t seen a party like this in a while, have we?”
“You host lavish banquets when I arrive every year.”
“Well, that may be, but we rarely have this many people in the palace. Everyone seems to be busy too. With all these gods and goddesses here, I’m wondering how the mortal realm is doing.”
She smiles. “If Ares is here, I imagine everything is calm up there.”
“That is true.” He leans in and softly kisses her, arms around her waist. She sighs, kissing him back. “I realize I never thanked you for not inviting any of my family that are, er, horrendous to be around.”
“Yes,” Persephone says, twirling his curls between her fingers, her eyes hazy. “I did not invite Aphrodite. I doubt she’d even come down here. The mere thought of a party that isn’t in her name would send her in a frenzy. And I myself am glad we did not invite…” she trails off, her eyes hardening. “Apollo.”
“Yes, because if he were here, I’d absolutely lose my–”
“No,” she says. “I mean. Apollo. He’s right there.” Her eyes are wide now, confused. “Wait. I did not invite him. I specifically put him in really big letters on the DO NOT INVITE list. Thanatos knew not to–”
“You’re not serious,” Harry says, frozen. “He’s not really–”
“My king, Lord Hades!”
“No,” he whispers. “Please no. Seph, tell me he’s not really there. It’s a nightmare. It’s just a nightmare. He’s not really behind me.”
But his wife’s eyes are still big. “I’m so sorry, my love. There he is.”
A big hand grabs his shoulder, pulling the king and queen apart. There’s only one person who has the audacity to do that. Well, him and his father.
“Apollo.” Hades says, taking deep breaths. He shoves his hands into his pockets to avoid accidentally punching his nephew in the face. “It’s you. And you’re here. In my house.”
Apollo grins, nodding. His blond hair is swept off his forehead, tucked behind his ears, clad in a white suit. He looks radiant, his eyes clear. He holds a bouquet of flowers in one hand, though they’re wilted and dead, and in another, there’s… a cat? “I am!”
Persephone peeks out from around Hades. She points at the orange cat that seems happy resting in the crook of Apollo’s arm. Its purring can be heard from several feet away. “How did you get that thing past Charon?”
“I gave him 50 gold coins of course.”
“For a cat?”
“Why did you even bring a cat?” Harry interjects. “More importantly, why are you even here? Who invited you?”
Apollo’s laugh is a booming noise. “Ah, I do not ever require an invitation to show up somewhere. After all, where there’s a party, there’s Apollo.” He shrugs. “I should be offended that I wasn’t invited, however, this is no subject to get upset about. All that matters is that I am here and your party is saved from suffering the same tragedy the entire underworld realm does: boredom.”
Harry feels the corner of his eye twitch. “So you invited yourself.”
“That’s an easy way to put it! Here. Let me introduce you to my companion for the night. I wasn’t sure if I should bring a plus one or not, therefore I bring with me a majestic creature that counts more as a friend than an extra.” He holds the orange cat up. The cat squints its eyes at Hades and Persephone. “His name is Apollo.”
“You named your cat after yourself?”
“But of course!” Apollo exclaims passionately. “A creature as beautiful and fierce as this one must be given the name it deserves! A worthy name! A name that makes love bloom, a name that makes the poets wish to write, the musicians wish to play! Apollo!”
For a moment, both Harry and Persephone are too stunned to speak. Harry’s glad it’s Persephone that offers Apollo a meek, “How riveting,” because he doesn’t know if he should laugh in his nephew's face or suggest Zeus exile the poor kid to humble him.
“But I digress!” Apollo says. “Now tell me, which person do you believe I should approach first?”
“Hecate,” Persephone offers immediately, throwing a look at Harry. “Trust me. She’s totally into you.”
“Hmm,” Apollo says, searching the crowd. “You’re right. I’ve seen the way she looks at my triceps. Here I go!”
Harry wraps his arm around his wife’s waist as they watch an ambitious Apollo strut off. “You’re terrible,” he tells her, kissing the top of her head.
“I am,” she giggles. “You are so different from everyone else, did you know that?”
“I could say the same about you.”
“Yes, well, it’s a shame there aren’t enough tree growing vegetation goddesses out there. Oh wait. There totally are. There’s Hestia and mother and Artemis when she feels like it and–”
“Alright, I get it. So what if the world is lacking in gloomy, evil underworld rulers?”
Persephone’s eyes shine. “You may be gloomy, but most definitely not evil.”
“Mm, no? Perhaps I just put on an act in front of you to impress.”
“Ah my love it cannot be an act since you still haven’t perfected it. I can see how you are when you must judge souls. Sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes you don’t want to remove parents from their children, lovers from their lovers.” She smiles. “Whether you like it or not, you get caught up in emotions in regards to mortals.”
“That may be,” he says, yanking her close. He leans down and kisses her softly. “But nothing gets me more caught up than you.”
She grins and kisses him back, arms flung around his broad shoulders. “Good,” she says, holding his collar. “That’s the way it should be.”
***
Near the end of the party, Hades gets on the dais and raises his glass, tapping against it. The crowd falls silent. Even Apollo stops making out one of Nyx’s daughters, looking at Hades with hazy eyes.
“Thank you all,” Harry says loudly, “for being here. When Persephone first introduced the idea of a party before her departure, I was not pleased with it. I didn’t like that we’d be celebrating her leaving, but now I realize that it wasn’t so. This party, in fact, is a celebration of everything she has done to keep the Underworld,” he looks over at her, “and I in tact.”
Tears sparkle in Persephone’s eyes. Hades swallows hard and continues, “Our queen leaving us will never be easy. But while we mourn the loss, we shall look forward to her return.” He points his glass in his wife’s direction, “To my wife. The beautiful and terrifying. To Persephone.”
The crowd repeats after him. “To Persephone!”
She takes a sip of her champagne and whispers thank you, keeping her eyes on Hades. He ducks his head in a small acknowledging nod and then drinks his own champagne. He holds his hand out for her and she joins him on the dais. The crowd cheers harder for her. Harry smiles. All for her.
Apollo the Cat joins them on the stage and rubs up against their legs. Persephone just laughs through her tears.
When the guests begin to leave around an hour later, they both say their goodbyes. To several gods and goddesses, she reminds them she’ll see them soon. To the grays, she tells them to count down 6 months from now.
Harry holds her face when they’re in the privacy of their own bedchamber. He kisses her softly. “You said no tears,” he whispers, wiping away the moisture on her cheeks. “No tears or sadness.”
“There will always be sadness,” she softly cries, surging forward, hugging him tight, “when you leave the ones you love.”
“And yet you manage to do it twice every year.”
“And twice every year, someone welcomes me with open arms.” She lifts her head up and looks at him through her tears. “Oh how I hate this part.”
“My love,” he murmurs, wiping her tears as they fall over and over. He runs his thumb over her trembling lip. “I will always mourn you, but wait for your return. Right by the entrance of our palace. I’ll wait for you for 6 months, a year, several years. As long as you come back to me. To your home. I can wait forever.” He holds her close, resting his head against hers. “I love you, Kore. You’ve always known that.”
“I have.” She kisses him again passionately, pouring all her love into it. She slides her fingers into his hair and tilts her head back when he starts kissing down the column of her throat and down to the dip of her neckline.
She gasps softly when his warm hands tug on the sleeves of her dress, slowly baring her shoulders for him to atack with his kisses. She shudders and grabs his collar, bringing him to the bed behind them.
In a mess of laughter, they fall back against the bed. Hades’s curls fall into her eyes, his hands all over her body as she kisses him through it all. He climbs over her and settles between her legs, watching as she removes her dress, throwing it somewhere behind her.
He holds her waist, kissing her stomach tenderly. Her hips. Her thighs.
Her fingers tighten in his hair. Harry grabs her hips and tugs her down to the edge of the bed, kneeling before her. She sits half up, watching him pull her underwear out of the way, whining when he softly bites her thigh.
“Ow,” she whispers. He smiles in response, parting her legs.
“My queen.”
He licks her softly, chuckling when she dramatically falls against the bed and swears. His hands hold her thighs tightly, keeping her hips down. His eyes flutter shut as he loses himself in the act, tasting her, drowning in her moans and whimpers.
She’s already so wet, and he suspects she has been for some time. Since the party, perhaps. Or since he locked the door behind them when they got to their chamber, as if anyone was going to interrupt them on their last night.
Persephone tugs on his hair. When he sinks two fingers inside of her, she swears again, and the walls around them tremble. He’s reminded of the time she ruined the cabin in the forest from the pleasure she felt. He wonders if he can ever get her to the point where she ruins their room.
“Please,” she whispers, his curls now laced between her fingers. She raises her hips to meet his mouth, helping them mouth. Harry curves his fingers inside of her, grinning when she groans, throwing her head back.
He keeps his fingers in her as he focuses his mouth above her entrance, licking, sucking, and everything in between. She’s drenched him completely as the minute passes and soon, she’s dropping her hands from his hair and grabbing their silk sheets.
She whispers words in Greek, English, French. Everything. It just comes tumbling out as she falls apart on him, her body trembling with her orgasm so beautifully, Harry wishes he could stay there on his knees before her for another century. He suspects it still wouldn’t be enough.
He pulls out of her, wipes his mouth and then grabs her face. He kisses her hard, arm around her shaking frame, holding her tight to his chest afterwards.
Persephone breathes hard, holding his no longer crisp shirt as if to make sure he won’t leave her. He never does.
“I love you,” he whispers, kissing her face again and again. “I’ll wait for you. I always do. I always will. I’ll be here for eternity for you, I swear it, my dear lover.”
He’s not surprised to see tears in her eyes again when he pulls away to help her put more clothes on. Instead of offering her any more words, he lets her cry on his chest as he tucks both of them away into their bed.
She’s still sniffling even as she’s drifting asleep, head buried in his neck.
“Do you want me to wake you when I leave?” she asks several minutes later, looking up at him with her tear streaked face.
“Of course. I’ll see you off. All the way back to Charon.”
She sniffles again. “You’ll have to let the souls back in when you’re returning. I only bribed Charon to tolerate the grays for a day.”
“That’s fine. I’m their ruler. It's my job. But do you want Hermes to be with you? It’s no fun returning to the mortal world alone.”
But Persephone only shakes her head and reaches for her husband’s hand. She tucks it under her chin and sighs deeply. “No. I want you to be the last face I see when I leave, and my mother the first face I see when I arrive.”
“Whatever you wish, my love.”
Harry raises her chin and kisses her once more, finding himself holding his own sorrowful tears back.
“You are my world,” he reminds her, carding his fingers through her hair. It’s been long released from its braid. “Return to me quickly so that I may resume worshiping you again.”
Persephone closes her eyes and nods. “I love you, too, my king. To you, I’ll quickly return.”
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