11 Chapter 10 - Gaia

I rub my eyes as a yawn escapes my gaping mouth. The rooster is a loud alarm that keeps blaring all until I sit up pulling on my slipper and walk into the kitchen. I pull out milk, a bowl, spoon, and Captain Crunch cereal. Rosetta walks into the room dressed neck to toe in rubber ducky pajamas. She pulls out a bowl and spoon while waiting for me to finish preparing my bowl. As she begins pouring her food and milk, I eat my food.

"What time is it?" She says groggily. I swallow my food and pull my phone out of my bright pink pajamas pocket.

"6:15." She groans and walks down the hall stomping her feet. I hear a door swing open and her voice pound through the halls.

"I told you to tell that stupid rooster!!! Its only 6 am!!!" I hear Cauliflower trying to calm her down and convince her to just eat her breakfast. She comes back out calmed down followed by Cauliflower who is already dressed and ready to continue work outside. He looks out the window.

"The barn came together." Me and Rosetta join him by the window looking at the barn.

"Talk about a glow up." Rosetta says while laughing.

"You could use one." I say laughing out loudly before seeing her face and running away from her circling around the table.

"The first joke ive heard you say in a long time and its offensive?!" I laugh nodding my head and racing to the right around the table as she starts running after me again.

"Such little kids, the both of you." Cauliflower says while sticking some bread in the toaster oven and pressing the button down. I call a truce with Rosetta before returning to my cereal and finishing it up.

"I decided not to come on your date with Cronus. It feels like intruding." Rosetta says while cleaning the dishes with me.

"Oh no, its okay." I reply smiling at her while handing her a clean plate.

"Plus, you guys would look soooo cuuuuuute." She bumps me with her hip smirking. She is just so predictable.

"You cant help yourself, can you?" She shakes her head smiling widely at me.

After doing the dishes we help Cauliflower with the work around the farm until it reaches about 10:30. I take a shower and brush my hair thoroughly then pull it up into a ponytail. I pull on blue jeans and a black shirt with loose sleeves. I hop into the pickup truck where Rosetta sits with her short cut light brown hair hanging just above her shoulders. Her dark tone glistens in the sunlight along with her smile.

I look at my phone to see the time is 11:25. Ill be there early, good. Right as I set my phone down on my lap it dings. I pick it up reading that I have one new message from Hades. I let out a sigh before double clicking the message taking me to our chat.

I sent the work to your house already.

okay

I know I'm probably the last person you would wanna see but I need to talk to you. Meet me at my house at 5 Pm tonight. Ill wait and if you dont come ill understand.

I hesitate before answering. I'm just now feeling at ease and he decides to text me. Its like he senses that.

Ill be there.

I reply at last. After a few minutes of him not replying I turn off my phone and look out into the window.

"He says he wants to talk tonight at 5 pm. Can you give me a ride there?" She nods her head and looks at me as we approach a red light.

"But are you sure?" She asks.

"Yeah, I just wanna get it over with." She says okay in understanding and presses the gas as the light turns green.

After a while of driving, she pulls up to the front of Le Thai Cafe. She stared at Cronus who sits next to the window. His light brown hair is combed back with just a small strand hanging down above one of his eyes. His caramel skin glistens in the sunlight and suddenly his emerald eyes catch mine. He smiles and waves his hand gently. He seems more calm than normal. As I open the door and get ready to leave, Rosetta quickly grabs my hand.

"Ask him if he wants to come to dinner tonight please." She says with a pleading face.

"You know I wont be home tonight, right?" A smirk forms on her face.

"Exactly." I shake my head giggling as she lets me go.

"Sure, ill ask him if he wants to have dinner with you tonight." I close the door behind me and head inside the cafe taking a seat across from Cronus. His emerald eyes stay fixated on me.

"So, how is your day so far?" He asks while showing his canines in a smile. His smile seems to light the cafe up more than it is.

"Very good, and you?" He nods his head while swaying it side to side.

"Pretty good." A waitress suddenly comes up to us asking for our orders.

"Oh uhm, can I have a few moments to read the menu?" I ask patiently waiting for a reply.

After a few moments of waiting she quickly glances back at me.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry. Ill be back in a few moments." As she leaves I look out the window to find what she was looking at and immedietly regret it. Hades and Charmaine walk towards the entrance to the cafe with locked arms. I look back at Cronus stressed and lift the menu to my face covering it. He presses the menu back down I meet hid gentle eyes.

"Whats wrong?" He asks concerned.

"Charmaine and Hades. . ." I mumble. He looks behind him discreetly.

"Duck down." He says while quickly sitting next to me. I duck under the table and watch as Hades and Charmaines feet walk beside our table.

"Oh Cronus, what are you doing here?" I hear Hades voice pitch.

"Just having some lunch." He replies. Thank you Cronus for covering for me. . .

"Well then, have a nice day Cronus." I see Hades and Charmaines feet walk off together while still able to hear them talking.

"Coast is clear." He whispers while tapping on my back. I get back up into the seat and let out a rough sigh.

"Thank you Cronus."

"Pfft, no problem."

"Oh yeah, Rosetta wants to know if you wanna come over for dinner." Cronus clutches his chest and presses the back of his hand against his forehead.

"Me? Invited to dinner? I thought no one would ever ask." I nudge him with my elbow making us both break out in small laughter. I look back to see Hades and Charmaine laughing while holding hands across the table making my smile dissapear and my heart burn. Cronus gently grabs my chin and makes me look him in the eyes.

"C'mon. Imma take you somewhere." He grabs my hand gently guiding me out of the cafe.

"But you dont have a car." He smiles and shrugs his shoulders gently.

"A walk in this nice weather wont hurt, right?" I smile and shake my head.

"Actually, that sounds great." He holda his elbow out towards me.

"Mademoiselle." I smile and wrap my arm in his making my heart race just a bit.

"Thank you Monsieur." His smile sends a chill through my spine and forces a smile to appear onto my face once again.

We walk down concrete paths for hours while he takes me in and out of stores looking and smelling flowers and statues. A little more walking and we come across Hades building which he then tugs me into by my arm.

"I know you probably dont like this place but it has the best viewpoint in the whole city!" I sigh in defeat while following him into the elevator.

As the elevator slowly brings us to the top floor Cronus gently grabs my hand.

"Thanks for hanging out with me today." He says. His hand is gentle to the touch and his nails nice and evenly cut. My hands begin to feel sweaty as nervousness rises through my body.

"Not like I had a choice." I giggle remembering our messages from the day before. He gently places his hand on my cheek while leaning in. I pull back scared and press my hand on his chest gently.

"I-I can't. . . Sorry Cronus." I let go of his hand but his other hand never leaves my cheek.

"Just calm down." He says while gently leaning down towards me and kisses my head. Heat rises through my face and ears as he pulls back and smiles at me while looking at me in the eyes.

I turn away trying to avoid face contact and impatiently wait for the elevator to hit the top floor. A ding suddenly sounds as the doors open and I quickly walk out. As my eyes adjust to the dim sunglight I notice the orange in the sky. You can see the mountains in the distance with few clouds in the sky. I walk to the edge of the building and put my hand into the sky feeling the warm air. Cronus walks up next to me nudging me with his arm and smiles at me. His smile makes me feel all warm inside.

Cauliflower was right about me just needing to distance myself from Hades but. . . I dont think this is what he meant.

Cronus lifts himself up onto the ledge looking at me. I lean down on the ledge with my elbows.

"In the small time ive known you, ive never felt so relieved." He says while looking up into the sky.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Your so easy to talk to and your funny too." He looks back down at me. His smile will never get old.

"I never had many friends besides nymphs and. . . Usually they didnt have time for me besides Rosetta of course. But you-you make me forget things that are hurting me and became someone I can rely on a bit." He hops down and wraps his arms around me hugging me tightly.

"Geesh, so touchy." I wrap my arms around him tightly while pressing my cheek against his chest. I look up at him as he places his hands on my hips.

"Dont worry, I wont kiss you a-" I quickly pull him down by his shirts collar and press my lips against his. I close my eyes gently as I feel him begin to kiss back and pull me tighter to his body.

I pull back after a few moments opening my eyes to see Cronus' face red. My heart begins to race rapidly realizing what I had done. I go to pull away but he tugs me to his body again hugging me tightly.

"Just for a bit longer. . ." He whispers into my ear. I nod my head in response while gently pressing my face into his chest. I fill my phone vibrate and pull it out of my back pocket checking for messages. I realize the time on my phone says 4:54.

"Oh no!" I quickly push out of the hug.

"Whats wrong??" Cronus questions confused.

"I'm gonna be late meeting Hades! Were supposed to talk tonight and I told him id be there at 5!" Cronus' facial expression changes like he is really upset.

"Its okay, but I really need to get going. You can go to the house to have dinner with Rosetta. I'm sorry!" He shakes his head and smiles.

"Its okay. It was fun while it lasted. Ill text you later?" I nod my head smiling and quickly hug him before climbing on the ledge of the building.

"What are you doing?" He asks while grabbing my arm tightly.

"If I walk I wont make it in time. I need to hop buildings."

"Is that safe?" I smile looking down at him.

"I'm a goddess, ill be fine." He lets go and I kneel down slowly. 3. . .2. . .1! I feel power rushing through my veins as I leap from the ledge leaving an indentation and hop onto the next building. I look back at Cronus when I land waving my hand goodbye. He waves his hand back before turning his back and making his way to the elevator.

I hop from building to building thrusting myself into the air. This is a stress on my body as I'm not used to using my magic except to tend to fields. I feel drowsy as I'm almost there but I hold onto reality. I take a quick glance at my phone before knocking on his door rapidly.

4:59. . . I barely made it in time. I hear shuffling behind the door before a familiar face appears.

"Hey. . ." He says quietly. The bags under his eyes still show making him look older than he is supposed to. His raven black hair sticks out in all places and his posture is slouched.

"Hey, you okay?" No matter how much I wanted to show him how upset I was, I just couldnt hide my true feelings.

"Yeah. . ." He replies while yawning.

"Hhhh. . . If that's your answer then okay." I walk into the house and sit on the dining room table. He brings two plates of food, one for him and the other for me. On the plate is a medium sized steak with mashed potatoes and broccolli. He clears his throat while taking a seat on the other side of the table.

"I deeply apologize for the kiss and my words right after. I shouldnt expect you to forget something like that." I scoff at his apology.

"Is that what you invited me over here for?" He looks down at his plate showing his pain.

"I'm sorry for initiating it in the first place. I dont blame you for your words I guess. . . I knew you were engaged and I still pursued for a kiss." He looks up at me and smiles gently.

"Thank you Kore."

"You can call me Persephone. . ." I say while smiling at him and taking a few bites of my food. As expected, its delicious. I hear a door open and from behind Hades, Charmaine appears and she looks pissed.

"Why are you in my house?!" She yells from behind Hades making him drop his head onto the table in frustration.

"We were just talking." I reply annoyed by her voice.

"JUST talking? Last time was a kiss, how do I kno-" Hades quickly cuts her off shoving his chair back and turning around.

"Just calm down and give us a few moments." He brushes his hand through his hair and tries to gently push her into the other room. She smacks him hardly and pushes past him. Just as she opens her mouth, I interior shoving my chair back as well.

"Did you just smack the god of the underworld?!" I yell with my voice pounding through the dining room. I feel my body shake in agitation and my fingers tips burn.

"I can do whatever i-"

"You have smacked your King!!!" She stands tall trying to intimidate me. I walk closer to her only having to slightly look up at her. Her hand dissapears behind her back catching my attention.

"No!" Hades yells leaping for her but he is too late. Her arm thrusts forward with a dagger and digs it into my heart. Suddenly, my whole body falls numb and my legs buckle from beneath me. I shove her away and reach for the table to catch myself from falling but I miss. Jolts of an unknown magic spread through my entire body making my body shake uncontrollably and my eyes twitch. I watch as Charmine and Hades mouths move but hear nothing from them. I try to gasp for air but recieve a sharp pain in my chest. I look down at the dagger which is pure black.

Hades press his hand against Charmaines forehead making her dissapear. I lay with my mouth gaping open and pain overcoming my mind. Hades kneels down on the ground beside me quickly and holds up my hand. I cant feel his touch nor hear his words. The pain becomes unbearable and my vision becomes blurry. I try griping his hand back but suddenly everything goes black and I feel myself surrounded by the cold. I reach out into the darkness only to feel colder. I jump to my feet screaming but it comes out silent. Where am I?!

I race through the darkness feeling nothing but the cold surround my body. I look down at my feet and suddenly begin to feel myself falling.

I land on the ground with a thud sending a jolt of pain through my legs. I stand back up and suddenly a tall lean woman appears. Her hair is long and has large pure green curls. Her skin is almost completely white and her eyes the brightest blue.

"I see Charmaine has completed her task." She says. Her voice eerie and striking fear through my body. Ive heard this before. . . From behind the woman, the three guardians of paradox appear. Candace, Harlow, and Allegra.

Allegra looks down at her feet while the other two wear a mischevious smirk across their faces.

"The power of the dagger."

"Shall pull you into darkness."

"And bind your fate."

"As they said, your fate is what I have chosen and now there in no escape. I will just be borrowing your body from now on." The lean woman says.

"What?! No! Who are you?!" I scream while stepping back from the woman. I trip over something I'm unable to see and she towers over me.

"I'm Gaia, the true goddess of nature. You have stolen that from me and I have come to retake it."

"I never stole anything from you!" I yell in fear. Gaia, isnt she like mother nature?!

"I AM mother nature and you stole it from me in your birth! You see, every god touches a star before being born but you-" She laughs evily while leaning down into my face.

"You touched my birth star and stole anything I had. You left me this mortal body that ive only been able to preserve because I'm trapped in this fucking prison! But all that changes now that darkness will overcome you. My prison will be lifted and all I have to do is simply suck the magic out of you." My eyes widen at her words. I quickly jump to my feet trying to run away but going nowhere.

"This is my prison, so my rules. Silly little goddess. Just watch. . ." Suddenly, I ripped from the darkness and I can see through my own eyes once more. I feel myself giggle a bit but I didnt do it. I try to sit up but its like I'm tied down by chains.

"You wont be able to control yourself any longer, but you will be able to watch." I see Hades glance over at me and jump from a chair. He is dressed all in ancient black robes bringing out his complexion. I look around seeing greek symbols all on the walls. Is this Olympus. . .

"Yes it is." I hear her voice say.

"Are you okay?!" Hades questions while gripping my hand.