Chapter 13 : No records

The next morning Persephone lay awake in bed. Not because she was tired or hangovered like Eris, but because something that Hades said kept replaying itself in her mind. 'It's dangerous for a young girl like her in places like this' … gods why did that statement get to her so much? Is that really how he viewed her? Just some vulnerable little girl? She thought they had somewhat bonded over their pack of KFC, but turns out he may have just been baby sitting her.

Persephone hugged her pillow and pouted, "how embarrassing."

"What's embarrassing?…"

Persephone turned around and saw her roommate across the room rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Oh, good morning Eris, are you feeling okay?"

"Just a headache, but hangovers aren't anything new to me." The goth goddess turned to her friend and knitted her brows, "I should be asking you the same question, you look like someone stepped on your daisies or something."

"It's nothing, maybe I'm just a little tired from yesterday." Persephone sat up and gave Eris a forced wide smile, "I just need to rest today before we head to class tomorrow."

"Speaking of yesterday, I'm really sorry I left you all alone back there Persie, that wasn't very cool of me."

"No it's alright you don't have to apologize!" Persephone insisted, "I mean we went there to have fun, I didn't need to be looked after like some child."

The sad smile that painted Persephone's face after she uttered those words made Eris feel a little concerned, "did he do anything to you? Cause if he did, it doesn't matter if he's some rich big shot we can have him arrested."

"No!" Persephone blurted out, startling both her and Eris. "I mean.. he didn't do anything. He was nothing but nice to me the entire evening. He got me food, and he talked to with respect. He was the perfect gentle-" Persephone glanced at Eris who had her eyes wide. "What is it?"

"Persie..?"

"Yeah?"

"You like him don't you?"

"What?! No of course I don't!" Persephone squealed, "I mean I do like him, but not in the way you think. I just think he's a decent being that's it."

Eris raised an eyebrow and smirked at her roommate, "high pitched tone, dilated pupils, red face.. Persie you totally have the hots for him." The goth goddess stroked her chin thoughtfully, "I didn't peg you for someone who would be into bad boys but I guess it kind of makes sense, opposites attract and all that."

Persephone covered her face with her pillow and groaned, is this what liking someone felt like? Wasn't it supposed to be wonderful like her sisters had told in their stories? This feeling was embarrassing and uncomfortable.

"But you know he's like way older than you right?" Eris pointed out, "and you're a minor, if anything were to happen between you two it would be a major scandal. And I'm sure someone as affluent as 'the king of the underworld' wouldn't want anything like that interfering with his work."

Maybe that's why his demeanor suddenly changed last night! His brothers must have figured out her age and told Hades about it, now it made sense.

"So when I turn eighteen I'll no longer be considered a minor right?" Persephone asked

Eris looked at her roommate in shock, "wow you're really into this old fart aren't you?"

"No it's not about that!" Persephone shrieked nervously, "I'm just curious that's all."

"Well technically yeah, at eighteen you're considered an adult," Eris responded, "but he's still like centuries older than you, there would still be some talking if you two actually started going out. Also, the olds of one of the biggest moguls in Olympus dating a college student, very thin."

Persephone didn't quite hear the last part, her mind shut down after knowing that when she turned eighteen she was legally an adult. Meaning no one could question the decisions she made, not even her mother. All she had to do was wait a few more months.

"By the way Tekos is really worried about you," Eris mentioned while swiping through her phone, "you should give him a call."

"Oh.. about that.. I don't have a cell phone."

"What?!"

*

Hades sat at his kitchen counter aggressively typing into his computer. He had been awake since three that morning and couldn't get a wink of sleep because of the red headed goddess Persephone. Why in the world was he even still thinking about her, did he want to get arrested or something?

"Pixie.."

"Yes lord hades? Would you like me to dispense some sleeping pills now?"

"No, do an extensive hoogle search on all and any articles pertaining to the birth of a flower goddess in the past seventeen years."

Hades didn't even know why he was doing this, maybe he wanted some sort of closure? Or maybe he was holding on to the slim chance that Persephone wasn't actually as young as her school details said she was.

"All available birth files searched lord hades, there is no record of any flower goddess born in the last seventeen years."

"Hmm… alright search for 'Persephone, daughter of Demeter' and pull out whatever information you can find on her."

"Searching…"

Hades sipped his coffee slowly and sighed, "what has this little dove done to me?"

"The search brought zero results lord Hades." Pixie reported

Hades leaned towards his laptop and knitted his brows, "what do you mean zero results?"

"There are no records of Demeter ever having a daughter lord Hades," pixie explained. "The only information available for a Persephone is a detailed form from Olympus university, last updated two weeks ago."

"What? How is that possible?" Hades mumbled to himself. Every god and goddess born on and off Olympus had to have a record, that was law, there is no way a goddess could have been born and lived seventeen years without any records of any sort. No birth certificate, no school background, clinical records, bank details, nothing?! This was very very strange.

The king of the underworld picked up his phone and dialed in a number.

'Hades? Why are you calling this early in the morning?'

"Zeus it's ten o'clock."

'Exactly, early in the morning. Didn't you get hammered last night? How do you not have a hangover?'

"I know how to handle my alcohol unlike Poseidon and you," Hades responded, "anyway the point of me calling is I need to speak with your wife, is she available? I need some help with some records."

Hera, other than being the goddess of marriage, was also the protecress of women in child birth. Any woman, wether human, nymph or god was at Hera's disposal during childbirth.

'Okay one minute… honey! Your favorite brother in law wants to talk to you about work stuff on a Sunday! Should I tell him to jump off a bridge?!'

Hades frowned before Hera's voice came through the speaker, 'Hades, this is quite the surprise. To what do I owe this honor?'

"Sorry to disturb your Sunday morning," Hades explained, "and sorry I didn't call you directly, your husband is quiet the jealous type."

'No need to apologize. So how may I help you? It must be pretty important for you to want to speak to me directly.'

"Do you happen to have any information about Demeter having a child? Let's say about seventeen years ago?"

'Demeter? Hades I don't know if you know this but Demeter identifies as a virgin goddess. And she's definitely never been pregnant, later on having a child.'

Hades went quiet for some seconds, what in the world was going on? If Demeter had never had a child, then who the heck was Persephone?

'Hello? Hades are you there?' Hera asked.

"Yes, sorry for the trouble once again. Have a good day."

'Like wise.'

The crimson eyed god put the phone down and threw his head back. Everything around this girl was so confusing.

"Good morning honey…"

Hades sat up and saw Melia smiling broadly at him.

"You're up early," she spoke before planting a kiss on his cheek and sitting on his lap, "I was sure our little session last night would wear you out. But looks like you still have stamina to spare."

"Oh you're still here.." Hades mumbled. After his ordeal with Persephone last night he had gone on a drinking spree and ended up bringing Melia home with him. He had totally forgotten about her.

"Of course I'm still here honey don't be silly." The siren walked to the fridge and peaked into it. "Want me to make you something to eat?"

"Is that my shirt?" Hades questioned after noticing what the woman was wearing. He didn't like other people wearing his clothes, highly unsanitary, now he would have no choice but to give it to her.

"After breakfast I was thinking we could go out for a relaxing walk in a park or something," Melia spoke as she ransacked his fridge. She was going to disorganize everything he just knew it. "What do you think?"

"I have some work I have to do unfortunately," Hades explained as he rose to his feet. "You can have something to eat and when you're finished, pixie will hail you a cab home." The man grabbed his laptop and his phone, and started walking towards his home office. "Also you can keep the shirt."