Accidentally Summoning the God of the Underworld

Aurelia had been sitting at the window of her room, gazing out into the distance at the swirling mists that veiled the horizon. She had spent the better part of the morning pacing her room, unable to focus on anything—her thoughts constantly drifting back to Hades, to the bond that tethered them together, and to the impossible decision she would eventually have to make.

With a sigh, she stood and moved toward the door, intending to take a walk to clear her mind. As she reached for the handle, she heard heavy footsteps approaching, steps that she knew all too well.

Before she could react, the door opened slowly, and there stood Hades.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. He stood in the doorway, his tall frame filling the space, and she felt a wave of warmth flood her chest. His gaze locked with hers, dark and indecipherable, but there was something in his eyes that made her heart stutter.

She froze, her hand still on the door, her pulse quickening as she took a step back, instinctively putting space between them. She had been avoiding him for weeks, but now, there was nowhere to hide.

Hades' eyes softened ever so slightly as he took a step forward, closing the distance she had just created. "Aurelia," he said quietly, his voice like a soft murmur that seemed to fill the entire room. "I didn't mean to startle you."

But she wasn't startled, not really. She was caught in the web of her own feelings, and they were more tangled than ever.

"You didn't," she replied, her voice betraying her as it trembled just slightly. "I just… wasn't expecting you."

Hades took another step forward, making the room feel infinitely smaller. His gaze was unwavering, as if he were looking into the very core of her being. "You've been avoiding me," he said softly. "Why?"

Aurelia froze, her hand still gripping the door, her pulse racing in her chest. She had known this moment would come, but now that it was here, she wasn't sure what to say. She stepped back, putting more distance between them, trying to steady her breath.

"I haven't been avoiding you," she said, her voice a little too hurried, betraying her calm facade. The words felt hollow even as they left her lips.

Hades' eyes narrowed slightly, as if sensing the lie beneath her words. "You're lying," he said softly, almost tenderly. "I can tell when you lie, Aurelia."

Aurelia opened her mouth to deny it once more, but the words caught in her throat. The truth was too painful to admit. She had been running from him, not just his presence, but from the feelings that seemed to bloom inside her every time he was near. The flutter in her chest, the way her heart seemed to race at the mere thought of him, it was too much, too intense. And she was scared. She had been avoiding him because she didn't know what this was, what these feelings meant, or where they were leading.

She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her thoughts. When she finally spoke, her voice was quieter, more vulnerable. "You're right," she whispered. "I've been avoiding you."

Hades tilted his head, a faint, inscrutable smile playing at the corners of his lips. "And why is that?"

Aurelia could feel her throat tighten as she struggled to find the words. She had spent so much time burying this within herself, and now, with him standing so close, the burden of it all came crashing down. She couldn't deny it anymore, couldn't keep pretending that her heart didn't ache with every encounter. The emotions were real, and that terrified her.

"I don't know what is going on," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "But every time I see you… my heart races. I feel things that I'm not ready to feel, things I'm not supposed to feel. And I'm scared." Her eyes darted away, unable to meet his gaze. "I'm scared of what this means, scared of how much I've come to… care about you in this short time."

The silence that followed was thick. Hades didn't move, didn't speak, and for a moment, Aurelia wondered if she had said too much, if she had given away something that was better left unsaid.

Hades opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say a word, the sound of footsteps echoed through the room. A soft, melodic voice drifted in, carrying a tone of casual elegance.

"Well, this is an interesting scene to walk into."

Aurelia froze, her heart plummeting as she turned toward the doorway. Standing there, framed by the faint glow of the underworld's ethereal light, was a figure so striking it seemed impossible to look away. Her golden hair flowed in soft waves over her shoulders, her emerald-green gown shimmering like freshly bloomed spring leaves.

Persephone.

Hades stiffened, his expression shifting from whatever turmoil he had been about to reveal to something unreadable, almost guarded. He stepped back, putting space between himself and Aurelia, his hands clasping tightly behind his back.

"Persephone," he said, his tone clipped but polite. "You're early."

She arched a delicate brow, her lips curving into a knowing smile as her gaze flicked between him and Aurelia. "Am I interrupting something?"

Aurelia felt Persephone's presence like a suffocating fog. She wanted to disappear, to sink into the floor and never resurface. Whatever emotions she had been holding onto moments ago was now drowned out by the sharp sting of humiliation.

"No," Hades said quickly. "You're not interrupting anything."

Persephone's eyes lingered on Aurelia for a beat longer, her smile widening ever so slightly. "Is that so?" she said, a trace of amusement in her voice. "Well, don't mind me, then. I just came to… catch up."

Her words were directed at Hades, but the way she said them felt like a challenge, a subtle reminder of her place in his world.

Aurelia's chest tightened. She didn't belong here. She had been foolish to think, even for a moment, that she could.

Without another word, she turned leaving the room, her steps quick and unsteady. She didn't look back, not at Hades, not at Persephone. She couldn't bear to see the look in their eyes—the silent agreement that she was nothing more than a fleeting moment, unworthy of their immortal world.

On the other side of the door, she heard Persephone's soft laugh, the sound grating in its feigned sweetness.

"Hades," she said, her tone teasing yet sharp, "you didn't tell me your mortal was still here. I thought you would've sent her on her way by now."

Aurelia's steps faltered, the words hitting her like a blow. She tightened her fists and quickened her pace, willing herself to leave the suffocating atmosphere of the building.

"She'll be gone soon," Hades said, his tone clipped. "You don't need to concern yourself with her."

Persephone hummed thoughtfully, the sound carrying an air of mockery. "I need not concern myself with her? Oh, I think might need to." Her tone sharpened as if she had turned to look at him. "Bringing a mortal here is no small matter, Hades. It's dangerous and reckless."

"She's here because she has to be," Hades said, his words clipped but deliberate.

"Is that what you're telling yourself?" Persephone asked, her voice light, but Aurelia could hear the underlying accusation. "I've seen the way you look at her."

Aurelia's chest tightened, her breath catching in her throat. Persephone had seen them together? What had she seen, and what did she think it meant?

"You're imagining things," Hades replied, his voice sharper now.

"Am I?" Persephone pressed, her amusement fading into something colder. "You bring her here, keep her close, and yet you tell me there's nothing more to it?" Her tone softened, laced with a cruel kind of curiosity. "What is she to you, Hades? Some… pet project?"

"Percy drop this please. She's just a mortal and that's all there is to know." Hades replied genuinely irritating.

"Hmm." Persephone's hum followed, laced with amusement. "She looked quite… distressed. Did something happen?" Her words dripped with feigned innocence, but the underlying implication was clear.

Aurelia couldn't hear Hades' reply; she didn't want to. The sound of her footsteps against the stone floor drowned out any response he might have given.

But just as she reached the end of the corridor, Persephone's voice rose slightly, enough to carry.

"I wonder… what does she think she is to you?" she said, her tone lilting and condescending. "You should be careful, Hades. They do tend to get attached."

Aurelia's breath hitched. She didn't turn around, didn't give them the satisfaction of seeing how deeply the remark had cut. She pushed through the heavy doors at the end of the hall, stepping into the dim, cool air of the underworld beyond.

Whatever answer Hades gave or didn't give wasn't going to change the sinking feeling in her chest.

She didn't stop walking, didn't allow herself to cry. But deep inside, she couldn't shake the image of them together, the perfect Queen of the Underworld, standing beside the god who had consumed her thoughts, her heart.

Aurelia wandered aimlessly through the grand estate, her vision blurred by unshed tears. The corridors seemed endless, the weight of her emotions turning each step into a struggle. She passed ancient statues, gilded archways, and flickering torches that cast long, dancing shadows on the walls. Yet none of it registered.

Eventually, she came across a doorway she hadn't noticed before. It led outside to a secluded garden that looked as if it had been forgotten by time itself. Twisted vines crept over cracked stone benches, and dark, otherworldly flowers bloomed in clusters, their petals shimmering faintly under the dim light of the underworld's perpetual twilight. A small fountain stood in the center, its water stagnant but eerily reflective. 

Aurelia stepped into the garden and hesitated. For a moment, she simply stood there, taking in the quiet, the isolation. Then, as if her body couldn't hold the burden any longer, she sank onto one of the moss-covered benches, her trembling hands covering her face.

The first sob broke free, and once it did, there was no stopping the flood. She cried her eyes out, tears spilling freely as the emotions she'd been holding back came pouring out. The weight of everything. Hades' cruel words, Persephone's condescending statements, the overwhelming humiliation crushed her.

Why do I feel this way? she thought, choking on her tears. Why does it hurt so much?

It made no sense. She barely knew him. She had been in this place for a little less than a month, and yet somehow, Hades had managed to worm his way into her heart.

"I'm such a fool," she whispered, her voice trembling. She buried her face in her hands, her fingers digging into her scalp as if she could claw the feelings out of herself. She blamed herself for everything. For letting her guard down, for thinking there could be more between them, for letting him consume her thoughts.

The memory of his words to Persephone rang in her ears, cruel and dismissive: "She's just a mortal."

The phrase repeated in her mind, each time cutting deeper than the last. That was all she was to him 'a mortal.' A fleeting, insignificant being in his eternal world. She had dared to believe there could be something more, and he had laughed.

Another wave of tears overwhelmed her, and she doubled over, clutching her chest as though she could physically hold herself together. Her sobs echoed through the quiet garden, raw and unrestrained. She hated herself for caring, for feeling, for being so utterly vulnerable.

She cried until there were no more tears left, until the pain left her numb and hollow. The forgotten garden, with its eerie stillness and broken beauty, became her refuge, the only place where she could grieve what was never meant to be.