Author's note: OMG I'm soooo sorrry for not updating quickly! We had some router problems.

oOo

My head hurts. I feel so weak and I'm trembling. What's happening? I have to open my eyes, I have to. I hope I escaped…

Persephone thought, as she was lying on her bed. Half of her wanted to open her eyes, but the other half was afraid that she might still be in that dark place. She massaged her forehead and temple, and slowly opened her eyes.

There is light!

That's what Persephone thought. No, it is just an illusion. She got so excited, she opened her eyes quickly, and disappointment spread on her face. She was in the same room, the same grandeur and the same loneliness. She wanted to cry at that very moment, but what she saw on the right side of the room near the windows and a large painting was Hades, The Lord of the Underworld, resting on a stool. His face looked so calm and kind. Persephone finally saw something in him that was definitely not in mortals or nymphs.

He is intelligent looking. His features were robust, but the facial hair softens his face. His facial features were proportional, a perfect nose with a deep bridge. His lips were thin and somewhat pinkish in color, not actually pale, conflicting what Persephone usually sees when he talks to her. He had lovely curls with a raven color. Persephone thought him handsome and finally saw what she does not usually see.

She went back to rest and did not bother shooing him out, because she had no reason to. There was this part of her that believes he will not take advantage of her, or do anything to displease her.

oOo

Hades woke up an hour later after Persephone. The moment he realized that he woke up late, he stood up in a hurry and looked for Persephone with deep urgency. He looked inside the closet, under the untidy bed sheets, but when he heard splashes of water inside the bathroom, he instantly knew where Persephone was.

He thought it would be a good idea to prepare her dress for her. He went inside the closet and found his favorite dress that he handpicked for her. It was a v-cut, silver colored silk and satin dress, with a bright red thin belt. It changed hue depending on the light. In direct sunlight, it was ivory white. On a warm light, it looked like a pale scarlet. But in the Underworld, it was a shimmering gray.

He also picked flats with Onyx adorned straps. It was a gift from Nyx, one of the few goddesses Hades deemed higher than himself. He wondered why Nyx gave him those flats, he cannot use them since they were for women, and Nyx just said 'you will see, my dear lord.' Now he knows why she gave those to him. Nyx was truly a powerful goddess.

Hades knew nothing of women's fashion, so he did not bother picking accessories. He went outside carrying the dress and the sandals and put them on the bed after he uncluttered the sheets. He sat again were he sat more than an hour earlier and waited for Persephone to come out.

oOo

He probably woke up while I was taking a bath…

Thought Persephone, while she was wiping the oils she put on her damp skin after bathing. She also wiped her face and looked at the mirror. There was something different about her, something beautiful, she noticed it the first time she took a bath in the Underworld. She also wiped her hair using the towel and untangled it with her hands.

Maybe he's not there anymore; maybe he went back to his chambers…

And there was certain sadness when she thought about it. She wiped her hair for the second time and untangled it again. She sprayed some fragrance on the heat points of her body, and she felt beautiful with her body. She covered her naked skin with another towel and went out of the bathroom.

What she saw when she went out immediately surprised her. Hades was waiting for her and she could see that he also prepared a lovely dress with an equally lovely sandals. This made her red and shy, but what also made her redder was the fact that she was only covered with a towel, this made her look very… vulnerable. And as usual, when Persephone feels scared, anxious or flabbergasted, she went stiff all over.

"Persephone, are you all right?" Hades stood up and walked towards her. He would have touched her forehead to see if she was feeling okay, if Styx's effect was still on her. But when he saw that she was only covered with a towel, he was taken aback. He was mentally scolding himself because random words that were quite unpleasing for him was flooding his mind. Words like touch, nude, skin and even fertile entered his mind. He never saw a woman this beautiful. Yes, he saw naked nymphs, but they were nothing compared to her, and she wasn't even nude!

"I… I think you… you should uhm- I prepared this… d…dress for y…you…" thank goodness I have great self-control. Hades immediately wandered his eyes away from Persephone and wiped the sweat that were threatening to fall.

"Yes, I… I think I should." Persephone replies after a few awkward moments. She went towards her bed and examined the dress he picked. She thought it was very beautiful, the most stunning dress she has ever seen. "This is a great dress that you picked. I… I love it. Thank you." Hades only replied with a nod, he knew that if he speaks, he would stutter terribly.

"Do you mind holding the dress for me, Lord Hades?"

"I… s… yes, of course." He went near the bed and picked the dress up and held it leveling Persephone's eyes so that she could see it better. The next thing Persephone did was almost a blur for Hades. Persephone did not also think about her actions, she did not know why she removed her covering in front of Hades, but she felt a certain confidence in front of him, her shyness instantly went away the moment he stammered with his words.

"Yes? What is it Hades? Pray do not look at me that way, it is quite awkward." She smiles and Hades almost melts.

"You are very unpredictable, my… my Lady." He still half-stammered. "I… here, put on your dress; you'll get cold if your skin continues to be… eherm… bare like that." Hades could not look directly at her. And Persephone noticed it, she mentally smiled. His actions were so sweet and there was no hint of malice in him. Deep in her subconscious mind, she was testing him. Persephone reached out for the dress and stroked it. She was still studying it, while naked. And Hades' heart was growing fainter and fainter by the second.

"Oh, I forgot, my Lord, my- uhm… underwear." Persephone felt a bit of embarrassment now. "I'll go and get it on the closet." So Persephone did. She paced towards the closet and well, even though Hades did not want to look and think of perverted things, she saw a good glimpse of her proportionate behind and he went paler than ever. (People get red when embarrassed, Hades grows pale.)

Kore went out wearing her beige colored underwear and went to Hades. Hades helped her wear her dress and he was also the one who helped her put on the sandals. This moment was very special for them both, because not only was it the first romantic encounter they had, they also discovered other things, things that weren't there when they didn't have each other.

oOo

Author's note: again and again, please review! They mean so much to me. :)