Ambrosia (1x1)

Hades was glad Persephone didn't comment on his ridiculous fixation on the flower and how long he spent just staring at it. He was no stranger to how they wilted and died, or how easy it was to rip them to shreds on accident due to one accidental mishandeling. And because this precious flower was a gift, he did everything in his power to keep this thing in one piece. It was the nicest gift he had ever received, and it left him feeling... extremely happy. A happiness he hadn't felt in quite a long time.

"I'll see you at then banquet then, I hope?" He replies, grin still bright on his face. "Maybe then we can have a longer conversation. It'd be nice tobe in your company once more."

After a few more parting words, he left the gardens according to Persephone's words. Before exiting through the aforementioned doors he looked back, into the gardens and the plethora of plants and could see Persephone heading back to work, and he sincerely hoped with all his heart that he would see her again after this, and that he would nevee forget such a kind soul.

When Hades arrived to his guest room, his chests of belongings and gifts were already there, waiting patiently for his arrival. He began to unpack and sort through his clothing for attire that would be better suited for the warm weather when he heard a soft knock at his door, and he lifted his head and called out the ok to enter. The door opened with a soft creak and entered Zeus, a wide smile on his face as he walked into the room. He had a slight giddiness to his step, like an excited teenager whose crush finally talked to them and he was just about to tell his friends about it. It was not a new Zeus behavior, but why he was acting like that was something Hades didn't know.

As soon as Zeus spoke, he understood. Zeus had left he and Persephone in the gardens to converse alone, but didn't head off to where ever else. Instead he lingered in the gardens, watching he and Persephone talk and interact. Hades was glad that according to Zeus, he couldn't hear anything lest he be comprimised in his sneaking, but he saw the smile on Hades' face and the gift of a flower. Zeus commented, "Of course." when Hades told him the type of flower he was given and clicked his tongue but said nothing more.

Then Zeus changed the topic of conversation. He asked about what Hades planned to wear at the banquet, and when Hades replied that he would be wearing dark formal colors in a fancy ensemble he had just recently gotten, Zeus immediately shot him down with a loud "No." Then cue Hades being dragged from his room, to some part of the castle and Zeus then throwing clothes and this and that at him and telling him to put it on and show him. He wasn't sure how he came to be here, doing this, but at this point he just accepted it.

And after he tried on what felt like thousands of outfits and modeled for a Zeus who loudly critiqued how "your pale skin looks terrible in almost everything", Zeus decided on an outfit that was pretty tame. Soft in color, it was a pale lavender color with gold accents, the material lighter and thinner than what he was used to but he had to admit, that he did like the look of it on him. Zeus immediately told him to keep the garment for himself and wear it to the banquet before ushering him back to his room and leaving him be.

Hades wasn't pestered much after that. He had a few diplomatic meetings with his brothers to discuss things other than his apparent and "horrid" fashion sense, and occasionally strolled in the gardens to try and see if he knew any flower types and if he could find Persephone. (The answer to both was no). Eventually, however, enough days passed and the banquet had arrived, and in the coming hours of it, Hades wasted no time getting dressed and ready to go. He did his best getting his hair to look nicer, a bit more shiny and sleek. He tried putting it in a ponytail but preferred it down. He certainly always looked an outsider among curly, bouncy hair with his flat, straight locks. And then, as he was placing on one of his rings he remembered the flower he was given. It was still alive, not wilted, mostly because he put it into a cup of water like Zeus told him to. He wanted to wear it tonight but... should he? And risk damaging it? Plus where could he put it?

He scrutinized himself for a while before finally deciding on a place that seemed the most secure and safe: his upper left chest, where it was pinned on somehow carefully and gently. It looked nice against the pale lavender.

Then finally he was at the banquet itself. As expected, he was the black sheep, standing out extremely so with the lack of a tan, light hair and curls. He sipped nervously on wine, not quite looking forward to having Zeus drag him to some pretty lady to hae an awkward chat or speak to Poseidon, who constantly mentioned that Hades' kingdom was pretty lame. So far, he was tentatively enjoying being alone, scanning the crowd for a familiar face.

He spent quite a while like that, looking around silently and awkwardly, until he heard Zeus say "Demeter" and his head whipped to him immediately. He was midway through a wine sip when he was looking, and just like he hoped Zeus was speaking to Persephone and Demeter. And then. He saw Persephone.

He nearly choked on his wine and spilt it all over himself like a jackass. He managed not to do that, and instead cough a bit too loudly as he tried to recover from that trainwreck of a situation. And then, when he looked up it seemed like Persephone noticed him and now she was walking towards him and dear Gods in heaven, she looked beautiful. Her dress flowed around her almost serenely, or a scene in a dream, and she had a beautiful smile on her face as she walked towards him like an angel descending from the stars and Hades was for sure staring like the creep he was but he was so taken aback by her beauty that he literally couldn't help himself. He was barely able to reel himself back in to greet her when she finally came to a stop in front of him.

"Hello, Persephone." He all but coughed out, giving her a small smile. He hoped it didn't looked forced and awkward because it felt like it was.
 
Once she was sure that Hades was heading in the right direction Persephone turned and started walking back toward where she had been working earlier. As she had suspected several of the workers she had come to the castle with that morning were back and hard at work again. She got a few questioning looks as she passed by them but waved them off, her business was her own and there was still much to be done. No time for idle chatter.

The next few days passed very quickly, at first the majority of her time was spent running around Zeus' castle. Though a late order for bouquets for the banquet ended with her having to dedicate that time instead to tending to her mother's extensive gardens. The closer it got to the first day of the festival the busier she got, it was almost a blessing that in the lesser amounts of time she spent at Zeus' castle making sure everything was on schedule she didn't run into Hades again. As much as she had enjoyed talking to him, the long list of to-do's would have kept her from being able to have a proper conversation.

Early the morning of the first day of the festival her mother sat her down in an insistence to help 'tame' her hair for the banquet. Though the festivities stretched for the entirety of a month the first banquet was always considered to be an exceptionally special celebration, one where everyone in the kingdom dressed their best to attend. Nearly an hour had passed in which her hair had been twisted and braided and pinned until it was eventually all piled atop her head, several of the braids curled into themselves to create an imitation of many petaled flowers with hair. The style of having all of her hair up was not one she preferred, not to mention the amount of time it took to do but she had to admit that it did look pretty. The dress she wore was light and off the shoulder sleeveless, flowy in the style that was currently popular in Olympus. Made of a soft, almost silky looking material it was a warm toned white, embroidered along the neckline and hem with the motifs of delicate salmon pink flowers and dark but vibrant green leaves. She had bought it specifically for the festival months back and it had been sitting in the back of her closet waiting to be worn ever since.

Once she had finished getting ready Persephone walked to Zeus' castle with her mother. They detoured slightly to take a back entrance in through the gardens, with all of the flowers planted and the work tools put away it really was a magnificent sight to see. From there they walked through hallways until they reached the banquet hall which was already full of people milling about and talking in small groups. Persephone recognised most of them, though there was one face that she was looking for that she was unable to find with only a glance.

"Demeter!" Zeus' voice rang out as he caught sight of the woman and Persephone had to hold back a smile at the annoyed look on Hera's face as her husband cut her off mid sentence and left her side, likely not for the first or even second time that day. "And the lovely Persephone as well, I'm glad to see the both of you here." He continued.

A sudden cough caught her attention and she looked around, eventually spotting a man with dark hair dressed in pale lavender. With a number of other things on her mind, she went to tune back into the conversation between her mother and Zeus when the dark colour of something pinned to the left side of his chest caught her eye and caused her to do a double take. It was hard to tell from this distance but it looked to be an Ambrosia flower, a black one. She turned slightly in order to get a better look, trying to appear casual and still a part of the conversation.

Once she was actually looking it hit her immediately. The man in lavender was none other than Hades, and the black flower he wore was none other than the one that she had given him during the preparations for the festival when they had spoken in the gardens. The fact that he had not only kept it but had chosen to wear it to the banquet had a warm feeling begin to spread in her chest and she smiled.

"Please excuse me. Zeus, Mother." She inclined her head slightly to bother her mother and the high king, excusing herself from the conversation. Without any further hesitation, she descended the steps toward where Hades was standing, clutching the stem of his glass of wine as though it was the only thing that was currently holding him upright at the moment.

"King Hades," Persephone greeted him with a slight bow, though the broad smile on her face ruined the usual stiff formality of the gesture. "I almost didn't recognise you. Lavender is a colour that suits you well." She complimented, doing her best not to stare at the flower pinned to his shirt front. With closer inspection, it definitely was the one that she had given him the other day, still as lovely as when she had picked it.

Unable to keep herself from staring and not wanting him to think her rude she finally blurted out; "That's the Ambrosia flower I gave you." The sentence came out much quicker than she had expected, and not nearly as eloquent as she had planned on it being.
 
Hades had talked to gorgeous people before. People who were no stranger to these formal events and were basically in there element in such a place. People who wore formal clothing as if it were their skin, and who looked damn good in it as well. Hades had talked to these kinds of people and especially the ones who were interested in his attention. It didn't happen as often anymore when charming young women and dashing men would try and make him swoon, seeing as he was getting older and older, but he wasn't a stranger to it at all. The point was, Hades saw and had interacted with beautiful people before, so why the hell was he so flustered and a damn mess around Persephone?

Sure, her hair was braided and resembled beautiful flowers, her neck and shoulders letting a loose fabric drape over her body in an etheral color that fit her too well. Yeah, the flower theme was so, so wonderful and so, so Persephone and the way she moved in that dress was something he couldn't describe. And okay, maybe her staring at him, in slow recognition and then full realization was making his cheeks feel warm in a way he hadn't felt in a long time but that surely didn't mean anything. Women are just damn beautiful beings, and Persephone was a good example of that.

He had to resist the urge to face palm at the ridiculousness of his thoughts. He was so out of touch with romance, that the first person to show him genuine interest and care was the first person he began to swoon for. What happened to his youth? What happened to him being able to make others swoon? Now he was a blushing school girl.

Her words stopped Hades' stupid thoughts from running their full course. He swallowed thickly, his throat suddenly dry. "Yeah, it is." He managed to say. He took a drink of his wine. Why was he feeling so awkward all of a sudden?

"You look... beautiful, Persephone." He added after a short moment. "If I didn't know you liked flowers, I'm sure I know it now."
 
Wearing clothing in a colour and style native to Olympus suited him fine, though it was a very distinct change from the dark ensemble he had on when they had spoken in the gardens. After a few moments of consideration, Persephone wasn't sure which she thought suited him better. The dark colours and thick material had been striking, cutting a distinct and handsome figure but the light colours and soft material didn't look as harsh - not to mention that the Ambrosia flower she had given to him was currently pinned to the front of them. The lavender outfit bringing out the purple undertones in the almost black petals, causing it to stand out even more so.

There had been no doubt in her mind that it had been the flower that she had given to him but hearing him say it still caused her heart to skip. "It looks nice, it suits you." She said, reaching out and straightening it, leaning back to check her work before offering him a smile and an explanation; "It was crooked."

"Thank you." Persephone flushed at the compliment, smoothing down the front of her dress as though that would somehow make the colour in her face retreat quicker. Though the majority of the rest of the party goers wore similar outfits she suddenly felt very overdressed. It was true that she liked flowers, being a daughter of Demeter it was almost expected. Certainly, there was no reason to keep it a secret. "The hair was my mother's idea. She sometimes gets carried away and forgets that I'm no longer a little girl." She explained, idly fiddling with a short strand that had come loose on the walk over to the castle.

Ever conscious of the flush on her face Persephone made to change the topic, hoping that it would calm the rapid beat of her heart as well. "Have you been enjoying the banquet so far? Mother and I only just arrived so I haven't had much time to look around."
 
Her stepping forward to fix the flower was.. surprising. With the little time she spent closer to him, the faint traces of a sweet, flowery and earthy smell came from her. Came as no surprise for those scents to be emanating from her; the most he knew of her was the fact that she often worked with what her scent hinted at. It was something that suited her, an extremely pleasant, almost homey sort of feeling came with it. He muttered a soft thanks for her fixing of the flower, and said no more of it.

"I like it. It's certainly not out of place here. Though, I think your all over the place curls are a much more fitting look for you," He replied, recalling the last time he saw her. She didn't seem like the type to be very skilled in the careful work hairstyling requires. Her hands are better suited for gentle work with plants and the like, gardening. But even so, her intricate hairstyle didn't look extremely outlandish on her.

The topic change was welcome. Hades was sure he'd say something incredibly stupid if they stayed on the topic of appearances any longer. He was out of practice with compliments and the like. "Enjoying is a bold word. I'd prefer to say I'm tolerating it." He finished off the last of his wine, before placing the flute down onto the tray of a servant passing by. "I don't know anyone besides my brothers and you, and I'm not much of a socializer." He continued, shrugging his shoulders.
 
That made her laugh and she responded with a grin as though he had guessed some sort of secret. "Between you and me it's not going to last half the banquet, I'll end up taking it down. The pins are already starting to hurt." She carefully patted the side of her head, pushing one of the 'flowers' up only for it to droop slightly the moment she let it go again.

The thought that even as a king, Hades knew few people in Olympus hadn't struck her until he pointed it out. She herself had never been one for extravagant parties, but knowing people often times actually made it enjoyable if not straight out fun. Even just looking around the room from where she was standing she could pick out several familiar faces and another dozen more that she recognised but didn't know well.

"No one from you kingdom came with you then?" She asked sounding a bit surprised, not thinking to consider that they would have had to travel a far ways to get to Zeus' kingdom and couldn't just pick up and put down their responsibilities and duties throughout the festival as those in Olympus often did. "It must have been a long journey all by yourself."
 
Hades wasn't surprised that her hairstyle was already not keeping its shape. He distantly remembers Zeus attempting to braid and style his own hair, but with how smooth and "slippery" as Zeus described it being, the braid unraveled all by itself, barely staying in place even with the aid of ties and pins. "I wouldn't stop you from just undoing it now. It might save you some hours of pain and suffering,"

The mention of his people made his expression drop significantly. He had always wanted to bring his people here, to have them experience the warmer climates and what Olympus had to offer in terms of a different enviornment and landscape that was more forgiving than what was back home. But it was too risky to make such a long journey when so little people lived there, and it would lessen the numbers more and disrupt the carefully made balance that was strictly upheld for the sake of survival. He did have a few of his closest personal servant with him, but he'd hardly call them friends or some sort of company. They had their duties to uphold, and the large difference in class made friendlier, personal interactions extremely weird.

Hades merely sighed softly. "It is, but I don't need the constant comfort of another to be happy, necessarily. But it doesn't make being around so many people I don't know any easier." He absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back and away from his face. "Zeus tries to get me to make friends, but I guess his only successful attempt was with you."
 
"Hours is likely an overstatement." She said, before glancing over her shoulder and up the stairs where she had left her mother talking with Zeus. Unsurprisingly the High King himself was gone now, and an only slightly less annoyed looking Hera had taken his place in talking with her mother. Though it was tempting to let her hair down it was likely going to take a few minutes and would be much easier to do while sitting down. If her mother saw her she was like to get a lecture as well, middle of the banquet hall during the festival or not. "I can bear to suffer a while longer."

At the change in his expression, Persephone almost immediately regretted asking if Hades had brought anyone with him from the north. She hadn't seen anyone who shared his dark hair and pale skin in attendance or accompanying him at any point so the answer should have been obvious, but she had still been curious. Too curious it seemed. "One success is still a success at the end of the day." She said. It was a poor attempt to try and cheer him up but what else could you say; 'Sorry your people couldn't be here and that you're stuck alone among all these brightly dressed Olympians who like to party and all know each other' didn't exactly have the best ring to it.

"We don't have to stay right here for the whole banquet, most of the castle and the surrounding courtyards are open as well right now. We could take a walk if you'd prefer to take a break." She offered, changing the topic again, trying to sound a bit more upbeat in light of the evidently more dreary subject. "The gardens are finished too, they turned out very lovely. Hera actually gave mother a compliment on them."
 
"If it'll unravel by itself, it'll be sooner or later," Hades replied, noting the curls starting to slip out from the braids and stick out a bit, slowly making the once neat and organized style into a slowly forming mess. He couldn't help but have some form of entertainment from that little thing. He was sure it would look much sillier later on in the night.

Hades felt bad for practically being the entire reason the conversation turned sour and went down south quickly. It wasn't as sad of a topic as he somehow made it out to be, but it clearly had an effect on Persephone. He gave her a small smile at her reply, glad she wasn't trying to have him wallow in self pity and his own inevitable lonliness. He was truly glad he met Persephone, and perhaps should thank Zeus sometime later. His brother was the reason to the small upside to this routine trip.

At the mentions of the gardens, Hades visibly perked up. "I wouldn't mind another stroll through the gardens," He replied. "We could continue our conversation cut short from the last time we met."
 
At his comment, Persephone reached up and patted her hair again, able to feel where some of the shorter curlier bits were coming loose. "It's always sooner." She said, letting out a breathy laugh and shaking her head slightly. Sometimes she wondered if what people said about how having thin hair was worse than having thick hair was actually true.

The warmth that had seeded itself inside of her chest from earlier grew at Hades' choice of leaving to walk through the gardens. She had been planning on making her way out there at some point or another during the banquet in any case, mostly because she wanted to be able to see everything completely finished but also because she had hoped she might find Hades there. Seeing as the second part of her reasoning for wanting to go to the gardens had become void there was nothing to stop her from enjoying the flowers - and the company - without worry.

"Shall we then- Oh, hold on a moment." Persephone started before catching sight of one of the many servants milling around with trays full of wine glasses. She turned away from Hades to gently touch the arm of a servant who was passing by and he lowered his tray for her to take a glass off of it with an amused smile before lifting it again and continuing on his path through the room.

"What's a banquet without a glass of wine." She joked, taking a small sip at first then a slightly bigger one. "The fastest way to the gardens is up the stairs and left down the hall. Shall we?"
 
Hades was glad to be able to visit the gardens again. During the days leading up to the banquet and the start of the festival, the most he could do was give it a short glance as he would move about the castle, aiding Zeus with the occasional decoration duty, though Zeus often complained that his choice of colors wasn't the best or the most "in style" for Olympus. The fact that he would be returning to it with Persephone was also nice. He'd finally get to learn more about the flowers and plants, beyond just the ambrosias he was now familiar with.

"No point in wasting time then," He replied, following her directions and leading the way, sliding his way through the crowd while exchanging quick hello's or excuse me's as he and Persephone made their way on through. The closer they got to the gardens, the more dispersed and thinned out the crowd got, until they reached the stairs, which was completely vacant of all others. It seemed like in the early hours of the banquet, mingling in the main center of it all was preferred before expanding elsewhere later on.

Finally, after making the left, they were at the gardens. The familiar scent of its plant life, sweet, floral and earthy permeated through the air and a small smile settled on Hades' features. "If I am jealous of Zeus for anything, it's that he can have this magnificent garden. I haven't seen any native flowers growing back home."
 
Following Hades through the crowd made making the way across the banquet hall much easier than it would have been had she been in the lead. Even had he not been a king there was a commanding presence about him, something that had people parting to create a path even before he had to ask. Once the crowd thinned out more she jogged a few steps to catch up to him so that they were walking side by side once again, up the stairs and through the halls that lead toward the gardens.

"Uncountable harems of beautiful men and women aren't to your tastes then I take it." Persephone joked, taking one last sip of her wine before setting the almost empty glass down on the top of a pedestal that boasted a realistically carved bust. She busied herself then with starting to take some of the pins out of her hair, only managing to get a small chunk of messy curls free before saying anything else.

Joking aside the thought of living somewhere where there was little to no vibrant plant life was rather sad, especially when the majority of your life had been spent tending to and being around uncountable types of plants as Persephone had. "I've read about flowers and plants that are able to grow in cooler conditions, though most of those are located on Olympus' side of the northmost border." She paused, involuntarily letting out a quiet 'ow' as one of the pins caught in her hair and she had to yank it free along with several strands of her hair that were twisted and knotted around it. "There are really that few things that grow in the north that you only ever rarely see them?"
 
"Beautiful strangers are not my forte, you are correct." He joked back, looking around at the gardens. It seems like this was a section he hadn't actually seen before or was recently added. He didn't explore much of it the last time he came, so it wasn't much of a surprise that he had missed a few parts of it. Too bad Zeus wasn't here to boast about the new magnificence of his garden.

He turned away from the plants to look at Persephone, not wanting to be rude, and heard the soft 'ow' coming from her. Pretty much without thinking, he walked over and behind her. "Let me help you," He said softly, before he began gently finding pins and doing his best to gingerly tug them free from her stubborn hair. He did his best to wiggle them out without full on tugging and pulling at her hair and had decent success, though it did take some time.

"Unless you're talking about trees, I rarely see any flowers, yes. Perhaps it's just too cold for such delicate beings like flowers to exist there. I wouldn't blame them for avoiding my land," He pulled out another pin, and worked to find another one, slowly unraveling her once intricate and much neater hairstyle. A shame it was all falling apart, but it wouldn't have lasted regardless. "I don't think you'd like it much where I live."
 
"It's really no problem, I can do it myself." She half-heartedly argued, not putting up a fuss when he started to undo her hair. His offer and the following gesture had been surprising but she wasn't about to argue too hard and be left to blindly do it herself.

The first pin took him a while to find and though he was behind her and wouldn't have been able to see she covered her mouth in order to hide her smile. While the twists and braids resembled flowers from further off close up they more resembled neat tangles, pins having been shoved in to hold her hair without any sort of pattern in order to get it to stay. As he worked Persephone quietly wondered how many times he had done this before, it was likely not very many but you never know. She could hardly have been the first girl that he had left a party to take a stroll in the gardens with.

A twist of hair fell in front of her face as one of the flowers fell apart and she blew out a huff of air to move it the action having little effect. "That seems like it must be sad." She admitted, sounding a little hesitant to do so. Offending a king was something she tended to try and avoid, especially when said king was currently very gently helping to undo her hair. Evergreens and blue spruces were not unattractive trees but for that to be all that grew in the snow seemed rather desolate. "I'm sure that there is more that grows there than you realise, there has to be."

Another chunk fell into her face and the left side of her hair was down, a little messy from being up but not much worse for the wear, she'd smooth it down properly once he was finished. "I think that I would like to see it one day, your kingdom, regardless of there being no flowers."
 
Hades found it quite calming in a way to just to undo the pins and braids of Persephone's hair. He necessarily wasn't new to undoing hair, his own experiences with attempts to change the simple style of his own and years ago undoing the hair of some of Zeus' daughters when they were much younger could attest to that. As the braids fell apart and some got in Persephone's face, he did his best to push them away, but they would always find a way back to slip back over her face. He continually tried to push them behind her ears, but it always ended in failure. Oh well.

"It's something I'm used to. I'm not surprised you find it not the happiest thing. The cold is never known to be the bringer of happiness," He replied simply, finding and taking no offence in her words. He really agreed with her; flowers and plants from Olympus have him a sense of happiness he hadn't quite yet found in his home, making the yearly long trips certainly worth it for that small aspect.

He let out a soft laugh at her words. Would she even be able to survive such cold weather? Someone like her basks in sunlight and belongs in its warmth, not the cold, unforgiving snow of the north. "I'd love to take you, though I'm not sure you'll enjoy how brisk it gets. Light summer dresses will do you no good."
 
While she had to admit that it was true that the cold was not known to be a bringer of happiness - save for the first snowfall to children who had never seen it before - it wasn't the bringer of sadness either. It was just, different. "What of the stories of being able to come in from the snow and curl up next to a crackling fire with a heavy quilt and a warm drink?" She challenged. "Or soup, or stew." Technically everything she had said aside from 'come in from the snow' she was able to do and had done in Olympus at one time or another. Soups, stews, and hot drinks weren't common but when the weather started to get cooler they became slightly more popular. The same went for heavy quilts and fires but slightly less so on the scale of popularity.

"I'm not afraid of the cold," Persephone responded stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest. "And I do own more practical clothing than just summer dresses. It's not always this warm, it cools down here in later months." It was true that she owned clothing that wasn't primarily summer wear, but the articles she spoke of mostly just consisted of light jackets, long sleeved shirts, and dresses that were made of a slightly heavier material. Nothing that was actually suitable for a country where the only season was an unrelenting winter.

Reaching up to finish untangling the last of the pins from her hair Persephone ran her fingers through the curly mass in an attempt to tame it, only ending up being partially successful. She turned to face Hades, a smile on her face. "In any case it wouldn't matter, being able to travel anywhere other than Olympus would be an adventure and I'd look forward to it!"
 
She certainly had a point. While the lack of any and all warmth and the constant onslaught of snow and freezing temperatures alone weren't great, there was certainly potential for good memories to be made in that enviornment. He personally never really understood why warm fires and drinks and quilts were particularly popular in the image of a good, cold winter memory, he at least could guess that it was because of another's company -- to share that warmth with.

"As I said, light dresses won't do you any good. The cold you experience here is nothing like what is the constant of my kingdom, Persephone." He had a light joking tone, trying not to sound like he was belittling her, but it may have offended her. He wasn't sure how else to tell her that the cold weather that he was used to was nothing to be taken with a light autumn jacket and the belief that it's all ok as long as you have a warm drink and a fire going in the fireplace. It was a real danger to live in such drastic cold conditions.

He stepped back once he finished his work, and was glad she was smiling at the prospect of no more pins stabbing her scalp any longer. Her hair was more of a curly mess than the last time he saw it, no doubt due to the twists and turns it was pushed and pinned to stay in place to be. "Get some winter gear first, and I'll bring you to my kingdom. Though I'm still unsure if you'll enjoy it, even with fireplaces and quilts."
 
"I still think that you're making it out to be worse than it actually is. But if I manage to find someone who sells fur lined coats or other winter clothing in Olympus you'll be the first to know." She copied his joking tone, though in light of his more serious phrasing her eagerness had died down some. Even for all their discussion of her going north, Persephone highly doubted it would ever actually happen. Between the distance and time it would take to get there and her mother's views on her travelling, even when with company, it was very unlikely. It never hurt to imagine what it could be like though.

With one last futile attempt to control her hair Persephone settled for leaving it as it was, the hot air was likely to undo any work she did in any case. "Is there anything that you enjoy about the north?" She asked. "There has to be something, why else would your people stay there. Why would you stay there if it's as dreary as Zeus says it is?"
 
"If Olympus doesn't have any, I'm sure I could get some made for you, should you visit." He offered, but knew that this was unlikely to happen. He and Persephone were fast friends, yes, but he doubted that she'd actually want to make such a long trip just to see his dreary castle and endless amounts of snow. He wasn't even certain Demeter would allow her to even think about such a thing. But, what did he know? Maybe she would work hard just to see him up north.

"I want you to know that I didn't necessarily choose where to rule. Being a king doesn't mean I get what I want because I am king. I have duties to fulfill, and they were best suited in the north." He tucked a few strands of loose hair behind his ear, going quiet for a moment as he thought over her question. He and his people stayed there because that's just how life was. If you knew how to survive such a place and were decently well off there, it was better than moving elsewhere because the weather is better and starting fresh with nothing.

"It's quiet, I guess you could say. No constant parties and socializing. The stillness lets you think more clearly than I can here. Sometimes I waste entire afternoons looking out into the white horizon just thinking."
 
"I'll be sure to have my measurements sent ahead so you can have something ready for me." Persephone joked. While she wasn't particularly into clothing or the latest fashion trends it would be interesting to see what 'normal' clothing looked like to those in Hades kingdom. She could make a pretty good guess from having seen what Hades had been wearing the day they had met in the gardens before the festival had even started but guessing was never the same as being able to see the real thing.

Persephone listened quietly as he spoke, the mention of duties had her looking somewhat thoughtful. She'd heard kingly duties mentioned before, mostly in that they were the reason that Poseidon spent so much of his time out at sea rather than relaxing on one of the many white sand beaches that he had to choose from, but otherwise not anymore in depth. It only made sense that if both Poseidon and Zeus were honour bound by their duties that Hades would be as well, though his seemed much less obvious. She'd have to ask at some point or another.

"You don't ever get lonely without anyone around though?" She asked. "What do you even spend that much time thinking about?"
 
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