Title: Would Build A Garden
Fandom: Greek and Roman Mythology
Rating: Teen
Length: 1,052 words
Content notes: Also written for the 7/7 daily word challenge at 1 Million Words, with the prompt, "Nurture," and my hurt/comfort table with the wildcard space prompt, "Kidnapping." Title taken from the Mirah song, "The Garden."
Summary: Persephone explores her new world


Persephone grew tired of her chambers after three days. At least, she thought three days had passed, but she couldn't be sure. Her chambers were cold, dark marble, and they only served as a painful reminder of everything she had lost. Hades had given her strict rules about which places she could and could not go, and had then disappeared to manage another Spartan war, so she had been on her own the entire time. Keeping his rules in mind, she cautiously peeked out of her door. When no one appeared to scold her, she continued walking. As long as she stayed within the dark villa, and out of the basement, Hades had said, she had free reign. The few glimpses of the outer world that she saw between the columns were enough to convince Persephone to obey.

She wandered for quite a while: her feet never tired and the sky never changed, as it did on the surface, so she couldn't say how long. Once she was back - though that seemed an eternity from now - she would ask her uncle Hephaestus to make her a time keeping device. Without days and seasons to track, she had no idea when her six months would be over, and she didn't entirely trust Hades to keep his word. Of course, her mother could easily count the seasons, and she would be down here in an instant if the dark god reneged.

Eventually, Persephone found her way back to the gardens at the center of the villa. She was wary at first – walking through the colonnades around the square – but eventually the living plants drew her in. She simply wouldn't eat anything, and that would be that.

As she stepped off the marble porch, her feet hit dirt, and Persephone was filled with a sense of belonging. They might be far from the sun and sky that she was used to, but these were plants, and therefore a part of her mother's domain. Being among them was, even if only slightly, like being home again. The plants were different than those she was used to, mostly dark or silvery, with very little of the glorious colors that she loved, but they were living, growing florae.

After much time spent gently plucking dead leaves, Persephone began to realize something. This garden was dying. Though she didn't know these types of plants specifically, she had been around growing things her entire life. These plants were wilting, browning around the edges, and some were drying out. She took a quick walk through the rest of the garden, and saw that the problem was widespread. There wasn't a corner of the garden that was untouched by blight and decay.

The state of the garden emboldened her enough that Persephone actually approached Hades' throne room. A moment after she arrived, he appeared on his throne. "Yes?"

Persephone gathered her courage. "I wanted to ask. Is there a gardener?"

Hades considered her for a long moment; long enough that Persephone began to fidget. Finally he said, "I employ no servants. If you need something, you have the power to summon it. Simply press this and ask."

A small black stone appeared floating in the air before her. Tentatively, Persephone reached out and collected it. It felt warm in her hand and she tucked it into her pocket.

"Anything else?" Hades asked dryly.

"No, thank you." Persephone started to back out of the room, but before she could, Hades vanished. Accepting his dismissal, Persephone fled back to her garden.

Once there, she pulled the stone out of her pocket. "A watering can," she said softly. Immediately, a medium sized watering can - black of course - appeared at her feet. Persephone picked it up and began to water the nearest plants; to her pleased surprise, the can never emptied. Once the entire garden was damp and glistening, she tucked the can into a corner and asked her stone for a rake. All afternoon, or evening, or day, or whatever it was, she worked, tending the garden. When she was tired, she lay down on the grass, and when she rose, she resumed her work.


Eventually, the garden began to respond to her work. Plants that had shriveled or withered were now robust with new foliage. Blooms that she had never seen before sprang to life, and gleamed with dew. The entire garden had blossomed into life, silver-green and brimming with life. It was lush, and growing, and it was hers.

One day (if it was that) Persephone was gently pruning a tree when she felt someone staring at her. Turning, she saw Hades standing on the porch beyond the garden. Nervously, she approached him. "Yes?"

"The six months have passed," he said neutrally. "You return to the surface this afternoon."

"What?" Had six months really passed? It was impossible to tell the changing days, months, and seasons down here, but Persephone still couldn't believe that so much time had gone by. And she had spent the entire time in her garden. Her garden. With a pang, Persephone realized that she had enjoyed her time here, in her garden. She might even miss it, while she was gone. And, the thought occurred to her, when she was gone, the garden would wither again from neglect! She didn't want that to happen!

Hades was staring at her oddly again, but Persephone didn't care. Her hand stole to her neck, where she had braided a necklace of vines from her garden. At the end of it rested the summoning stone that Hades had given her. Squeezing it, she whispered, "I wish for a caretaker for my garden, until I return."

Hades raised one eyebrow at her, but a moment later a non-descript human soul appeared beside her. "Take care of it," she instructed it. The specter nodded, and ambled off into the trees.

After another long moment of staring at her, Hades held out his arm. "Ready?"

Persephone nodded and accepted his arm, realizing that it was the first time she had touched him since her abduction. He wasn't as cold as she remembered. As they slipped up to the surface, Persephone realized that, as happy as she was to see the sun again, she would miss her underworld garden. And she would have something to look forward to upon her return in six months.