Hades

Hades rarely left the realm of the dead, but today he had to go out into the world of the living to check the cracks after the earthquake and make sure that sunlight would not penetrate his domain.

He heard the ringing voices of the nymphs—and saw her among them. She was like the sun embodied in a flower: she moved effortlessly, as if on clouds, and her hair, the color of pink pollen, shone in the sun. Hades froze: his long-since-stopped heart sank, a spark of desire flickered within.

He couldn't wait. That night, Hades summoned Gaia and asked for a flower that could enchant even spring. She gave him the narcissus—the flower of temptation.

In the morning, Persephone found a daffodil in a clearing and bent down to it. And then the earth shook.

A chariot of night steeds burst forth from the depths of the world. Hades, lord of the dead, stood upon it, an embodiment of strength and intent. He seized Persephone before the nymphs could even scream.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered in her ear. “But I couldn’t wait any longer.”

The chariot vanished into the abyss. The sky cleared, the field blossomed, but Persephone was no longer there.