Persephone turned fully.
“Hecate, when did you—”
“Alma and I worked on it together,” she said. “Let’s see how it fits.”
Hecate helped Persephone into the gown, guiding it over her head. The material was silk and felt cool and soft against her skin. As she turned to face the mirror, she gasped quietly. The dress was beautiful and simple, having a pretty silhouette that seemed to be made specifically for the curve of her breasts and the flair of her hips. The neckline was an elegantly cut v, the straps thin, and a short train trailed behind her.
“A final touch,” Hecate said, as she brought forth a shimmering veil embroidered with green vines and flowers in colors of red, pink, and white.
The final look was dreamy—it was everything and more than Persephone had ever imagined. She was a goddess, a queen, but most importantly, she was Persephone.
“Oh Hecate, it is beautiful,” she said and as she stared in the mirror, she found it hard to completely grasp that this was her wedding day.
She faced the goddess who was holding a bouquet of white narcissus, roses, and leafy greenery.
“Yuri had the children pick the narcissus,” she said.
Persephone smiled, and felt tears prick her eyes as she took the flowers.
“No tears, my love,” Hecate said. “These are happy times.”
“But I am happy.”
Hecate smiled and took her face between her hands. “I knew the moment Hades spoke of you that I would love you. I never doubted for a moment that this day would come.”
Persephone lips quivered but she did her best not to cry. Instead, she took a breath.
“Thank you, Hecate. For everything.”
“It’s time,” she said. “Come.”
“Hecate,” Persephone said, hesitating. There was something she wanted—needed—but she was afraid to say it.
“Yes, dear?”
“I’d…like to have Lexa present. Do you think Thanatos would let her leave Elysium?”
“Dear, you are Queen of the Underworld. You decide.”
“Then we have a stop to make.”
***
Persephone waited behind a line of trees with Lexa who wore a dress that looked like a version of her veil, only the fabric was black. She had yet to peek around the branches to see the grove in which she would actually wed Hades, but Lexa did.
She’s inhaled and whipped around to face her.
“Oh, my gods, Persephone,” she exclaimed. “It’s gorgeous and there are so many…people.”
Persephone guess Lexa was torn between calling them people and souls.
She peeked again.
“I cannot believe I’m actually getting married,” Persephone said, holding her flowers so tight, her palms had started to sweat. When she thought of what she’d came from, it was even more surreal. She had never considered marriage, never dreamed of this day, but meeting Hades had changed all of that.
“Are you nervous?” Lexa asked, looking at her over her shoulder.
“Yes.”
“Don’t be,” she said and came to Persephone’s side. “When you step beyond those trees, just look for Hades. You’ll think of nothing else, want no one else, but him.”
It was something the old Lexa would say, and it gave Persephone comfort. Still, she glanced at her friend curiously.
“What?” Lexa asked when she noticed.
“Nothing,” Persephone said. “It just sounds like you are speaking from experience.”
A strange, thick silence followed.
“I think I know what it is like to want no one else,” she said quietly.
“Thanatos?” Persephone asked, still watching Lexa closely.
She nodded. It wasn’t that hard to guess given how they’d talked about one another over the last month. Persephone wanted to say something—to ask more questions. Had she talked to Thanatos about her feelings? Had they kissed? But a sweet, beautiful sound filled the air, sending chills rippling through her body.
“That’s our queue,” Lexa said, tugging on Persephone’s arm.
She held her flowers and her breath tighter, and as she rounded the corner, it was knocked out of her. They were in a huge grove surrounded by tall trees, each decorated with garlands of blooming lavender and pink flowers, and overhead the lampades glowed like lantern lights. Then there was Hades—dreadfully handsome—wreathed by an arch of greenery and flora, Cerberus, Typhon, and Orthrus sat stoically at his feet.
As soon as her gaze collided with his, he was all she wanted.
His smile—wide and gleaming—lit up his entire face. Even his eyes seemed brighter and tracked her as she approached him. He’d chosen a suit for the occasion, black with a single red polyanthus flower in the pocket of his suit jacket. His hair was slick and tied at the back. His horns were on display—beautiful, lethal things that loomed over his head.
The whole procession felt frantic and wild and perfect.
She paused to hug those she could reach—Yuri and Alma, Issac and Lily and the other children of the Underworld, Charon and Tyche. Then she faced Apollo, who smiled, his violet eyes were warm and sincere.
“Congratulations, Seph.”
“Thank you, Apollo.”
When she came to Hermes, she hugged him longest.
“You look beautiful, Sephy,” he said, and pulled away. He was still wearing his yellow suit.
“You’re the best, Hermes. Truly.”
He smiled and brushed his knuckle over the curve of her cheek. “I know.”
They laughed, and when she turned, she realized she was now face to face with Hades. She started toward him when Lexa tugged her back, taking her bouquet.
“Eager, darling?” Hades asked and the crowd laughed.
“Always,” she said.
He took her hands, and her gaze did not wavier from his face. His smile—oh, his smile was brilliant, and something she rarely saw and as he looked at her from head to toe, sapphire eyes as deep as the coldest parts of the ocean, she knew he was hers forever.
“Hi,” she said quietly, almost shyly.
“Hi,” he replied, raising a brow. “You are beautiful.”
“So are you.”
Hades looked thoroughly amused.
They found themselves interrupted by Hecate, who had stepped into the space before them, clearing her throat, and when they turned to look at her, she smiled, warm and happy.
“I knew this moment would come,” Hecate said. “Eventually.”
The Goddess of Witchcraft looked to Hades.
“I have seen love—all forms and degrees—but there is something dear about this love—the kind you two share. It is desperate and fierce and passionate,” she paused to laugh—and so did everyone behind them. Persephone blushed, but Hades remained passive. “And perhaps it is because I know you, but it is my favorite kind of love to watch. It blossoms and blazes, challenges and teases, hurts and heals. There are no two souls better matched. Apart, you are light and dark, life and death, a beginning and end. Together, you are a foundation that will weave an empire, unite a people, and weld worlds together. You are a cycle that never ends—eternal and infinite. Hades.”
Hecate held out her hand, and at the center of her palm, was the ring Hades had made for her. He took it and held it between his thumb and forefinger.