A/N: Hi there everyone!! This one took a bit more time cause itz d last chapter. I actually finished a whiiiile ago, but didnt have net access. Sorry!!! I wanna thank everyone for sticking with me through all the good and bad! Y'all rock!!

Special thanks to skele-gro, ErikaCrotts, Fostersb, CheetoFlavoredLove, child of a fallen angel and Miseriie for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.

And to ErikaCrotts, Fostersb, skele-gro, CuteANDSexxxy17, sound arch, CheetoFlavoredLove, child of a fallen angel and Miseriie for reviews throughout the entire story. Thanks so much!!

I really hope you enjoy it!

Menthe discreetly entered the room, looking around to each dark corner and crevice to ensure full privacy. After a few minutes, she assured herself she was alone and began looking at the wall with crystal bottles. She peered at each, the name of each etched into the base of the bottle. When she had found the one she had been searching for, she smiled to herself and removed it from the shelf. She emptied its contents into a vial she carried in a small purse around her waist and refilled it with water from another vial she carried. She smiled at the clear substance in the vial, laughing deviously.

Hades and Seph made their way from Seph's personal garden, hand in hand and laughed as they chatted. Seph smiled up at him with such love in her eyes that he felt a glow inside himself. He stroked a finger down her cheek and was about to lower his head to kiss her, when Menthe came up to them. She smiled at Seph and said,

"Seph! You were in your garden? I was looking for you! Did you have a good time?"

Seph smiled at her and grabbed her in a hug.

"Yes! A wonderful time. I was looking for you before we went to the garden, but I could not find you. Where were you?"

Hades saw a small look of guilt on her face before it changed into a smile. He blinked, wondering if he had imagined it. He shook his head slightly and smiled patiently down at her, trying not to hurry her along.

"I was probably wandering the halls. This is a very big palace."

Seph laughed.

"I did some of that myself when I first came here. Do not worry. The next time, I will surely bring you."

"Can we spend some time together now, Seph? I feel as though we barely see each other."

She pouted and Hades wanted to smack her. Did she not realise that Seph was his? That her time and energy belonged to him? Seph laughed.

"Of course! What do you wish to do?"

Incredulous, Hades glanced down at his little wife. Apparently, Seph did not realise that she belonged to him either. He sighed, resigning himself to an afternoon without his wife. He smiled at them and said,

"Ladies, I will take your leave now."

Seph leaned up to kiss him. He took her mouth in a swift but deep kiss, leaving her panting. He grinned, wolfishly, letting her know that she was missing out on an afternoon with him. She stroked her hand down his cheek to his jaw, looking at him longingly before decisively turning back to Menthe. Hades sighed and left, not noticing the rage that had filled Menthe's eyes for a few seconds.

Seph had seen it however, and wondered at the sudden change in her dearest friend.

Hades made his way to the library to log the souls of the day and sat at the desk he used. He opened the log book and dipped his quill to begin writing when suddenly, the door opened. He glanced up and stared, seeing Menthe outlined in the doorway.

"Does Seph need me?"

He asked, getting to his feet at once. A flash of annoyance crossed her face before she smiled, charmingly at him and said,

"No. She sent me to give you something to drink. She thought you might be thirsty."

"For her..."

He murmured, making her ask,

"What was that, my Lord?"

Hades smiled.

"Nothing. Please bring it here."

She brought over his usual golden goblet, filled to the brim with wine. He smiled and sipped at it.

"Very nice. Thank you."

She beamed at him and he felt quite awkward as she remained there, peering at him as if he were some kind of theatre act. He muttered,

"Do you not have to return to Seph's side?"

She seemed shocked for a moment and nodded, distractedly. She left and shut the door. Hades sighed and took a gulp of the sweet wine his wife had sent for him. He pretended the sweet taste was her lips and the entire goblet was finished before he knew it. He smiled and began to work once more.

It was a few minutes before Hades began to feel himself get dizzy. His vision began to waver just a bit and he could no longer see the words he was writing. He leaned back in his seat, shocked at how tired he was. He made to get up, his body tilting a little to the right. He groaned and touched his temple as his head spun. He made his way, wavering, towards the door. He grabbed onto the handle, steadying himself with it. He opened the door and began weaving his way towards his sleeping chamber. He had probably missed a bit too much sleep. That was all. He entered his sleeping chamber and all but fell on the bed. It took no more than a few seconds for him to be asleep.

What was going on?

wondered Menthe as she saw Hades weaving towards his sleeping chamber. The lust potion she had taken from Hecate's potions room was not working properly. Instead of affecting him the way it should, making him wild with lust for the first female he saw, it was making him dizzy. He meandered through the hallway, passing by her and seeming to not notice her at all. She growled as Hecate appeared next to her.

"You should really think before you go through someone else's belongings, Menthe. This is, I believe, your second plan that had failed. Are you going to give up yet, young one?"

Menthe glared at her. Somehow, Hecate had known what would happen and she had switched the potion.

"The most this plan is going to do is make Hades fall asleep. Such a pathetic attempt, really. You actually think you could be Queen of the Underworld? All of its inhabitants would laugh in your face before you rule. Remember that before your next attempt, you little twit."

With that last parting slur, Hecate once again disappeared into the darkness. A shiver went down Menthe's spine. Hecate was truly frightening.

She fell to her knees, her second plan having failed. She sobbed into her hands for a moment. Suddenly, the sobs stopped. She lifted her head, a craft expression on her face. This plan did not have to fail. It could still be used. Menthe grinned as she got up to finish her plan.

Seph hummed as she made her way back from her garden. She had sent Menthe for seeds such a long time ago and the nymph had not returned with them yet. She sighed and spun, laughing. Her garden always brought joy to her heart, but her true joy came from the fact that she now had an extra hour or two to spend with her beloved husband before they had to go have dinner. Maybe they could skip dinner tonight as well, Seph thought, naughtily.

Her love for Hades had grown infinitesimally since she had come to the Underworld. He was the only one she would ever love and cherish. She hummed a tune he had once sung to her as a child, making her way towards their bed chamber. She pushed open the door, shocked at how dark the room was. Maybe Hades had not returned yet. He always lit at least a candle before going to bed. She was about to step out when she heard a low moan come from the bed. She smiled. He was here. She lifted her hands and at once, the room was lit. She glanced at the bed and her heart shattered into a million pieces.

Her husband, her Hades, was lying on top of Menthe, naked, kissing her neck as Menthe lay under him, equally naked. The pain in Seph's chest was so great, she swore her heart was being physically ripped from her body. The sudden light made Hades blink and he looked up to the doorway. When he saw Seph, shock was the first expression he showed. He looked back at Menthe and scrambled off her, apparently uncaring of his nude state. Menthe gasped, sat up at once and said,

"Seph! It is not what it seems to be!"

Hades seemed totally confused, looking from one woman to the next, his eyes dark and blurry. Seph only had eyes for her husband. She stared at him, while he stared back at her. Seph heard a small sob and turned to Menthe. She was crying.

"I am sorry, Seph. I came to see if he was alright. He kissed me and I couldn't stop myself. I-"

Seph held up her hand to her, cutting her off, regally.

"I do not need any explanations, Menthe."

She looked at Hades, her eyes glacier cold.

"I am leaving here tomorrow. I am returning to my mother. I will send for my things."

She turned on her heel and left the room.

Hades looked around himself, confused. He had been in a deep sleep, which had been suddenly interrupted with little hands undressing him. Certain that his Seph had returned from wherever she had been, he had undressed her as well, the room pitch dark. After a few minutes of kissing, the usual fire of passion missing from them, the lights had flickered on and he had looked up to see Seph, with such pain in her eyes that he had felt as if his heart had been torn in half. He never wanted to see his Seph hurt. When he had looked down to the woman he had been kissing, he saw Menthe. At once, he had pulled away from her. His body, however, was still groggy and moving slowly. By the time he had looked back at Seph, her eyes, her once beautiful love filled eyes, had been so filled with disgust he was rooted to the spot. His beloved Seph had held such and expression in his eyes for him? He had not heard what Menthe had said, only able to hear the shattering of his own heart, but he knew she lied. He had always known something was wrong with that nymph. He glared at her form where he sat. She was still crying.

"What have you done?"

He asked, viciously. She seemed shocked as she looked at him.

"Me? You kissed me, Hades. Do you not remember?"

Dumbfounded, he wracked his mind, trying to remember what had transpired. When nothing came to his mind, he flicked his wrist, clothing himself and Menthe and ran from the room, his body still weaving a bit in the hallways as he searched for Seph. He found her, curled in a ball on the floor of her garden, her tiny body releasing wracking sobs, trembling from head to toe. Hades felt his knees fall to the ground as the pain filling his body overflowed. He crawled towards the only person he would ever love, his hand reaching towards her longingly. As if sensing his presence, she turned her face towards his. Her face was contorted in agony. When she saw him, she pulled away from him as a dog would from the owner who kicked it. This small gesture hurt him more than a physical blow.

"Seph."

He whispered,

"I did not..."

She looked up at him, hopefully.

"You did not what, Hades?"

Her voice was small and fragile. He wracked his mind again, for what had transpired, unable to come up with anything except darkness. When he did not reply to her, she looked away from him, her face smoothing out once more to a regal expression of nonchalance.

"If you have no reply, Hades, then you should leave."

He sobbed, his hand reaching out to her. She slapped it away. He barely felt the impact on his hand, but the impact on his heart was thunderous.

"You have no right to touch me."

She spat at him, the disgust in her eyes crushing him.

"I thought she was you, Seph!"

He screamed, unable to contain himself. Her mask fell for just a moment at this, her true vulnerability and pain showing.

"What do you mean?"

She whispered, her voice once more soft and helpless.

"I do not know what occurred exactly, but I know that I thought it was you I was touching, Seph. I thought it was you."

She searched his eyes, her face filled with fragile hope.

"Truly?"

She whispered, sounding like the little girl he had one known, not the strong Goddess she had become. He hated himself for having brought this upon her. He nodded, saying,

"You are the only one I love, Seph. The only one I would touch. You must believe me. If I had known it was Menthe, I swear on the river Styx I would have never even looked at her."

She gasped as she hard this oath. Swearing on the water of the river Styx was the most unbreakable of oaths. If he swore that he had thought the woman he was with was Seph, then she believed him. Tears of joy leaked out her eyes. She lunged at him, kissing him with everything she had. She pulled back, looking into his eyes.

"That was to wipe her taste from your lips."

His own eyes filled with tears and he hugged her, burying his face against her neck as for the first time in his life, he cried. She held him and sobbed against this shoulder.

Suddenly, Hecate appeared next to them. Shocked at seeing her King cry, she averted her eyes.

"My King, My Queen, I must speak with you. It is urgent."

They separated, Hades till holding her around her waist, unable to completely release her. He had almost lost her forever. He never wanted to know that feeling ever again.

"What is it, Hecate?"

He whispered, hoarsely.

"My lord, the nymph, Menthe, went into my potion stores and stole a very potent sleeping potion. I as of yet have no proof but I believe she used the potion in the wine she gave you in the library today."

His eyes hardening, he asked,

"What?"

In a voice that sent shivers down the spines of any creature within hearing distance.

"I borrowed your helmet of invisibility to watch her, my Lord. I do apologise for not aski-"

Hades waved away her apology, gesturing for her to continue. She nodded and said.

"When I was observing her, I saw her look at a potion I brewed that will make a man lust the first woman he sees with such animal need he would even go so far as to rape her if she refuses him. At once, I used my magic to switch the potions with that of a potion of the same colour. A sleeping potion that takes immediate effect, even on the Gods."

Hades had been quietly listening to what she had to say. She even explained the suspicions she had of Menthe since she had entered the Underworld. If only Hecate had come to him earlier. Glad that she had come to him at all, however, he thanked her and allowed her to leave. He turned to Seph and said,

"I will deal with menthe, love. Please leave it to me."

Seph's eyes had previously been closed, and Hades thought she might be in pain over the loss of her friend. When she opened her eyes however, such rage filled her eyes that he had never even known was possible.

"No."

She said, power resonating in her voice.

"She tricked me. I was foolish enough to trust her. I will deal with this."

She got up, at once and left the garden. Hades got up to follow her, but found she had barred the door. Opening it would hurt her as it would send the power to backlash her. He sighed and sat, hoping his Seph would not be harmed.

Seph had never felt such utter rage before in her life. Power swirled through her as she had never known. Before this moment, she had never thought of things like revenge and hate. In this one moment, however, her hatred had unlocked the door to her powers as Queen of the Underworld. The floodgates had been opened and she planned on using every single drop.

Menthe stayed in the Hades bedchamber, her plan falling into place. Persephone would never believe Hades. Hades did not even know what had happened. He had no idea she had sneaked into the bed and undressed him. When he had begun to undress her, she had been so engrossed, she had forgotten about the plan and just gone along with it. The plan however, had worked perfectly. Persephone was leaving to go to her mother's and soon, she would make Hades fall in love with her. The first thing he would do when she got her powers a Queen was get rid of that troublemaking Hecate. She rubbed her hands together in glee, planning.

Suddenly, a cold draft made her body shiver. She turned and saw Persephone enter the room. She was shocked and frightened at once. This was not Persephone. Who was this person? Persephone's hair and gown floated around her as if moved by some unknown breeze. He eyes glowed with an unholy power the likes of which she had ever seen before. She stared at Persephone, frozen in place.

Persephone lifted her hand and she was slammed back against the wall.

"You have tricked me, Menthe."

She said in a voice that resonated power. It was as if thousands of voices made up one. Persephone tilted her head to the side as if she was listening to something.

"And you tricked my husband. He never kissed you. All this time you were trying to seduce him. I trusted you!"

With the last proclamation, Menthe was slammed into the wall again, pain wracking her body. She looked into the wild eyes of Persephone and prayed that she could somehow hold her own. Her powers pushed against Persephone's but they were almost negligible compared to the vast recesses of Persephone's. Menthe made a small sound of defeat in her throat, knowing she could do nothing if Persephone chose to kill her.

Persephone moved closer to her, her powers feeling like a pressure pushing her harder against the wall. Menthe swallowed as Persephone said,

"You are nothing but a little nymph, Menthe. Remember that. Your powers are worthless. My mother sent you here so that when the powers of the Queen of the Underworld were upon you, you would perish. You cannot possibly conceive the powers you would have to contend with. Do not make plans for things far above your capability."

With that, he stepped away from her. Her eyes that had seemed made of ice a moment before melted against the fire hot rage that burned them now.

"You would have let me go to Olympus while my husband was innocent. You pretended to be my friend and betrayed me."

She got closer once more, so close her nose was a mere inch from Menthe's.

"Do you know who you betrayed, Menthe?"

Her powers flared, the pressure making Menthe feel as though with one more pulse she would be crushed against the wall.

"You betrayed the Queen of the Underworld. For that Menthe, you will be punished."

She lifted her hand and Menthe screamed in agony as she felt her body being burned.

"This is water from the river of fire. I hope you enjoy it, Menthe. I know I am."

Menthe wailed at the torture of the skin melting from her flesh. She sobbed as she died, her body disintegrating into ash. She glanced up, seeing the look of sick satisfaction in Persephone's face. She screamed to her, with her last breath.

"What kind of monster are you?"

Before darkness took her.

Seph stared at the body crumbling to ashes in front of her. The last words of Menthe, 'What kind of monster are you?' burned through her mind. She was justified in her actions! Menthe had betrayed her!

Slowly, as her full power as Queen of the Underworld left her, compassion returned to her, as if by bits. Instantly, she regretted what she had done. She fell to her knees, sobbing as she lifted the collapsed bits of ash around her. Her tears fell on the ash, leaving wet indents.

Slowly, little green sprouts appeared where her tears had fallen. She stared, perplexed as she saw the green little shoots. Gently, she stroked one ash covered finger over the soft green leaf. This was better. She should have thought of this earlier. Her mind had been fogged. Now she knew this was a more suitable punishment. Menthe had been a forest nymph. She would be back with nature, but in a way she could make no trouble for those around her. She made a little sprinkling gesture with her fingers over the tender fronds and her powers as a Spring Goddess surged. She smelled the fragrance first, a sweet fragrance with a subtle bite.

She smiled, the tears still falling, still regretting what had happened. She lifted the plant and took it slowly to her garden. She opened the door and saw Hades asleep on the grass. She smiled at the sight, her joy slowly returning to her. There was still a bit of sadness at losing her closest friend, but as long as she had Hades, she would need no other. She made a little hole and planted the little plant. As it bloomed here, so would it in the fields of man. She stroked the little leaves once more with regret and then made her way to where her husband lay on the floor. He opened his eyes as if he sensed her presence, smiled and opened his arms to her. She took her place at her husband's side, resting her head against his chest, never to be separated again.

This, my dear travellers, is the story of Menthe. Her own treachery caused her downfall. You can still find her in many places, now known as mint. She has become a favourite plant of the humans and Persephone still smiles every time she smells her fragrance, remembering for a moment the good times they shared. So this is the end of the tale. For now, dear friends, I must bid you farewell. Until my next tale, be safe and remember, love is the one and only thing in this world that is worth fighting for.

E/N: So this is the end!!! *little sob*.... Im actually reeeally glad its done!! Lol... I don't think you'll believe how difficult it was for me to write anything that would separate Hades and Seph, even for a little bit!!! AAAAAAH... lol!!!

So please review if you have any comments, good or bad. Thank you so much for sticking with me!!!

Special thanks to ErikaCrotts, Fostersb and skele-gro!!! You guys are awesome 4 reviewing EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER!!! Lol.... AND for sticking with me through BOTH my stories. Im not sure what I'm gon write next, bt I hope you enjoy it!!!