Chapter 22 : There’s something there

Persephone was suddenly feeling a little nervous about meeting Tekos, this wasn't a date right? Tekos had mentioned that he merely wanted to make it up to Persephone for ditching her at the party and nothing more. She was probably just overthinking things, and Eris was overthinking things too, Tekos didn't like her in that way, did he?

The sudden knock at the door made Persephone jump from her bed and little flowers shot up in her hair, she really had to get her powers in check before she embarrassed herself some more. The goddess got up and walked towards the door when she heard a second knock.

Upon opening the door, Tekos smiled down at her and his blue eyes glimmered with excitement. "Hi.." his eyes involuntarily glanced over Persephone's outfit and felt his heart race. Her tight jeans and leather jacket weren't doing him any favors either.

"You look pretty," Tekos mumbled nervously and averted his gaze, "ready to go?"

"Umm yeah I guess I am."

The blush on Teko's face made Persephone wonder if she had overdone it with the outfit, she had hoogled bike riding outfits and this was the closest thing she could come up with, should she change?

"Well let's get going…"

Persephone looked down at Tekos' outstretched arm and slowly took his hand. Was it okay to be holding his hand? Friends held hands all the time didn't they?

As the pair exited the dormitory building hand in hand, Ares' minions who he referred to as friends watched them. They knew Ares liked Persephone and whatever Ares wanted, Ares got, that's just how things worked. They just had to take Tekos out of the picture.

Tekos dug into his pocket and pulled out a black scrunchy with a pink flower on it. "It's for your hair so you can wear the helmet comfortably… May I?"

Persephone nodded in agreement and the Satyr moved behind her and gathered her hair together in his hands and made one big braid, after which he secured it with the scrunchy.

"There we go," Tekos spoke with a smile and handed Persephone her helmet.

The goddess stared at the bike helmet in her hands, it was different from the one she had used before. This one was neon pink and had some white flowers on the straps. "Is this new?"

"Oh yeah," Tekos chuckled nervously. "The one you've been using belongs to Flora and she got it back. So I got you that one, it's yours so you can keep it."

Persephone's face lit up as she looked at the bike helmet, though she would have preferred it with a bit of black, it was perfect nonetheless, it's was the first gift she had received from anyone other than her mother. "It's perfect!" Persephone squealed in excitement.

The satyr helped Persephone put on the helmet and tightened it's straps, "I'm glad you like it." He got onto his bike and helped Persephone on as well. "Don't forget to hold on tight, we'll go slow but you can never be too careful."

Persephone slowly wrapped her arms around Tekos' waist. He was in a leather jacket but she could still feel his chiseled body underneath, wow Eris was right, Tekos did have rippling pectorals.

*

Hades cupped his face in his hands and sighed as Hera sat across from him sipping her sweet wine. Amphitrite was sitting on the adjacent sofa beside Poseidon while Zeus was leaning against one of the windows with his arms folded over his chest.

Being the goddess of marriage, Hera was extremely obsessed with matchmaking, and once she went down the road of trying to pair two people, regardless of how good or bad they were for each other, there was no stopping her.

"So Persephone," Hera spoke enthusiastically while swirling her wine in her cup slowly. "Tell me about her."

"There's nothing to tell," Hades sighed. He pulled his hands slowly down his face and gazed up at the goddess with tired eyes. "I'm losing my mind over her and I cannot be with her."

"And why is that exactly?"

"Because she's a freaking minor! So if Hades as much as looks at her funny well be neck deep in lawsuits!" Zeus yelled.

A pillow flew across the room and smacked the king of the gods in the face. "Shut up I wasn't taking to you!" Hera snapped. She then turned to Hades and smiled kindly at him like she had not almost snapped Zeus' neck with a pillow just a second ago.

"Come on Hades, I don't care about what these two airheads have to say," Hera continued while glancing and Poseidon and Zeus, "forget the age gap for a minute, tell me what it is about her that's got you so whirled up. I haven't seen you act like this before, not even with your first."

Ah Hades' first, the one who got away and shattered his black heart into a thousand tiny pieces. He didn't like talking about her, not necessarily because he still had feelings for her, but because she was a constant reminder that no one would ever truly want to be with someone like him, no matter how well he treated them.

Hera took Hades' hand and smiled warmly at him, "look I know I haven't really been helpful to you in the marriage department, but I know why I'm asking this of you. I can feel something different about this whole thing, now come on, tell me." She gave Hades an encouraging wink, "what do you like about Persephone?"

Hades pursed his lips before conceding to his sister in law's demands. "Alright fine… since you asked nicely."

Zeus groaned and threw his arms in the air before heading towards the door, "I'm not sticking around to listen to you guys practically plot a crime. You trying to hook Hades up with Persephone is a crime Hera, and I will not be an accomplice!"

After Zeus walked out the room, Hera stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to Hades and smiling at him. "Please continue…"

Hades scoffed and run his hand through his black hair, "where do I even start?" He mumbled. "I've literally spent a total of only thee hours with her but she's on my mind every waking minute, and sometimes haunts my dreams as well. And it's like the more I try to push her away the more I want to get to know her." Hades threw his head back and sighed. "Hera, I'm ashamed to admit that I'm attracted to her. I mean what the hell is wrong with me?!"

"I'm sure it's not that bad.." Amphitrite tried to comfort Hades.

"I almost keyed the bike of some twenty one year old satyr that likes her the other day!"

Amphitrite picked up her drink and made a face, "well never mind then" she mumbled before taking a sip.

"I need to get a grip," Hades admitted. "She's too young for me."

"How old is she again?" Hera asked the god.

"She's seventeen," Poseidon responded. "It says so on her student registration."

Hera was thoughtful for a minute before pulling out her phone, "I have no record of any divine birth seventeen years ago, and definitely no record of Demeter being pregnant." She put her phone down and looked up at Hades, "so you may have a chance, and if she actually is seventeen, which I highly doubt she is, she will be eighteen in a bit, she will practically be an adult."

"Don't be weird Hera," Hades sighed.

Hera chucked and stood up from her seat, "okay look, I'll dig up what I can on Persephone for you. But trust me when I say this, there's something that's meant to happen between the two of you, I can feel it."

"Can we eat now?" Poseidon complained as his stomach rumbled loudly. "The food is getting cold."

"Dig in," Hera replied. "I on the other hand have a certain god I need to give a call."