10 Chapter 9 - A Brighter Side

You told me to just forget it so do you want me to do that or not?

Well yes but, I still owe you an apology

Look. . . Just give me time, okay? You can drop off my work at my house. I think its best if im not in the office.

After that I got no reply. I dont get why he is like this. He thinks can do whatever he wants just because he is a god and King!? Ugh! People have feelings! I scream into my head. I let out a sigh walking into the kitchen and begin to prepare lunch.

"Oh yeah, Rose!" I yell for her. She comes walking into the kitchen and climbs on top of the brown counter sitting down.

"I'm going to the Le Thai Cafe with Cronus tomorrow at 12. Wanna come?" Her face suddenly lights up catching me off guard, she jumps onto me wrapping her legs and arms around me making me stumble.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?!" I laugh and push her off. I stand back up and offer her a hand pulling her up.

"You are so weird Rosetta." I say while giggling and we start preparing lunch.

"So I can come right?" I nod my head and she hugs me tightly once again.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" She says. Why is she so persistent and weird. Constantly hitting on guys. I mean. . . I guess Cronus is. . . nice looking? I remember how his human form looks with his silky and soft looking light brown hair. His eyes pierce through your very soul as they glisten. His caramel skin seems so-

ANYWAYS. . .

"Just dont be weird, deal?" I say while handing her a plate of food.

"I have NO clue what you mean by weird." She says while smiling and dazing off.

"What are you thinking about then?" I say while smirking and grabbing Cauliflowers plate.

"N-no one!!!" She says nervously while running into the other room. I shake my head smiling. I'm glad I have her in my life. I walk out into the field catching Cauliflower working on the room of the barn. The doors hangs wide open as the hinges cease the exist. Its a faded out red with white lines going across all the supports and borderlines. The wood chips in many places and paint is scraped off. I walk through the doors looking around at the broken stalls and find a crooked staircase in the room to the right. I walk up the crooked staircase to see Cauliflower hopping down from the room and sweeping hay off the second floor.

I knock on the wood to notify him that I'm present and he turns his head around letting the broom sit against the wall.

"Whats this?" He says while i hand him plate of food.

"I thought I might cook some lunch for all of us. I havent been helping out much and I thought since today I dont have any work from Hades I would check out what you were up to and if I could help." He nods his head and takes out a piece of wheat off his mouth. He sits on the balcony of the barn making the wood creak and pats on the wood right next to him.

"Come take a seat with me." I slowly step across the wood careful not to fall through before taking a seat next to Cauliflower. The wood pokes at my skin causing little jolts of pain through my legs and hands but not enough to make me wince.

He takes a bite out of his sandwhich and swallows before he starts to talk.

"What are you doing?" He says while clearing his throat and taking another bite.

"What do you mean?" I say confused at his question. I came here to help him and I already told him that. What could he be asking for?

"With Hades and staying here in the underworld. You were set free, werent you?" Oh. . . His words make me question my choices as well until I remember what happened between me and my mom.

"I don't really have anywhere else to go."

"Your a goddess. You can go anywhere." His response puzzles me more. I guess it shows on my face because he looks at me and gently rubs my back with his hand.

"Its okay if you like him Persephone. Just dont hurt yourself." Says Cauliflower as he stares into my eyes, as if he knew everything abiyt me, even things I dont know about me. The thought of liking Hades make my eyes burn.

"I never understood how in the books, love is so beautiful yet all I've felt was pain from it." From then on. I spill everything I had been holding in. Things I havent even come to myself.

"You need someone else to take your mind off of him. Just distance yourself and take time to worship who you are." I smile and gently hug Cauliflower. Such a quiet nymph can hold so much wisdom.

"Thank you Cauliflower." He nods his head as we seperate from the hug and hands me the plate.

"We got a barn to fix." I nod my head smiling and jump from the balcony onto the broken concrete in front of the barn. I run back in the house and put the plate into the sink then race back outside to see Cauliflower working on the roof. I dig my feet into the dirt gently and feel my blood pulse through my body. Roots grow from the ground lifting me onto the roof. He shakes his head and points at the roots that I know have shrinking back into the ground.

"The old fashion way." Oh. . .

"Okay!"

Throughout the rest of the day we patch up the holes on the barn and sweep the floors clean. He finishes fixing the roof after teaching me how to fix the stall doors. From time to time he said jokes or started small talk to break the eerie silence. I got many splinters in my hands but it was worth it. Working out on the barn was calm and soothing.

"Now time to paint." He says as it reaches 5 o'clock.

"I'm surprised we finished all of that in one whole day." He nods his head as he pulls buckets of paint out from the back of his truck.

"Well, you gotta work hard to get things done on time." We take a few moments looking at the barn while sitting on the back of his truck. My breaths become steady and I feel the aching in my muscles grow more.

"Okay, lets get back to work." He hands me a paint brush and tells me to paint the red on first and we would do the white last. As we're painting I feel a cold splash hit me on my back making me jump. I wip my head around to see Rosettas hand covered with red paint.

"Did you just throw paint at me?!" I yell while grabbing a handful of white paint. As she begins to run across the fields trying to avoid me. I thrust my arm forward launching the paint into the air but miss. We quickly race back to the paint buckets to grab more. As we both bend down into the same bucket, a ton of paint engulfs my body. We both turn around to see Cauliflower laughing with now empty bucket of paint.

"You did not!" Rosetta says with a funny face. He shrugs his shoulders and Rosetta nods her head at me. We both pick up the heavy bucket and launch it at Cauliflower who blocks his face with his arms.

At the end of the day, the barn ended up with splatters of both red and white paint all over.

"Thats one way to paint a barn." Rosetta says while smiling and leaning against Cauliflower. I lean back against a hay bale smiling while looking up at the moon.

"Thanks, you guys."

"For what?" Rosetta questions.

"For letting me stay here, being there for me. . . and well everything." She shakes her head.

"No, thank you. You make life so colorful even if you dont see it Kore. You have a split personality which is really funny." I let out a giggle and sit up hugging Rosetta. Cauliflower hugs the both of us. That hug lasted only for a few moments but I knew the memory of it would last forever in my mind. I couldnt ask for a better person to have grown up with. Rosetta showed me to be strong and lately ive been everything except strong. I dont need to hold myself back or let my day be ruined because of some boy. At the end of the day, I always have these two to come home to.

We all shower and Cauliflower carefully picks the splinter out of my hands and rubs oil on them to numb the pain. We eat dinner and some of the lava cakes Hades had given us a few days back.

Later that night I lay in bed and slowly drift off, I cant help but think of what tomorrow would bring. I felt so much lighter tonight after having that talk with Cauliflower. A sigh escapes from my breaths as I gently close my eyes and melt into my bed. The blanket brings warmth to my body and the mattress matches the curves in my body creating a comfortable place for me to sleep. As all my thoughts slowly become hazed, I let one more smile take place on my face before falling fast asleep.

THIRD PERSON POV

"What's it this nonsense?!" I raspy womans voice echoes through the black abyss.

"I'm sorry my Queen."

"It seems that we are."

"Not powerful enough to force."

"A destiny."

"Upon Persephone."

"But!"

"The curse is still in affect."

"We must just be patient."

"She is a goddess after all."

The three sisters continue to tall after each other.

"Patiency is one thing I do not have! I must claim what is rightfully mine or I will have your heads!" The three sisters bow respectfully backing away from the woman. A crooked smile appears across her face. She sits on a throne woven together in vines with a large skeletal hand holding a rose on her left side.

"You must speed up this curse before the dark moon. We only have one chance before we have to wait another millennium."

"My majesty. If I may ask as to why you need the curse set upon this particular goddess." Questions Candace.

"She holds powers beyond the gods understanding. In that little mortal looking body, she has the power that I once had and I want it back." The three sisters bow once more before showing Persephone sleeping as if it was reflecting off of a lake. They speak an ancient dialect of the stars while the woman on the throne laughs miraculously. The sisters look between each other smiling before Harlow turns to the woman.

"In return of this uprise, we may roam free, am I correct?" Harlow asks while bowing her head.

"You may roam free and reign terror all over the world as you please." The Queen says smirking. Allegra stops chanting as her heart aches at what was to come in the future but she knows it was the only option. She starts incanting along with the other sisters again while taking deep breaths.

The woman laughs maniacly while watching them and staring at Persephone sleep.

"You shall be put under my finger little goddess."