MidReal Story
Chapter One Persephone I’ve never been one to follow the rules. My mother, Demeter, would say that’s an understatement. She’d say I’m a rebel. It’s not my fault. I’m just not one to be confined by rules. But I’m also not one to want to make waves. I’ve always been the easy-going one of the group, the one who follows along with what everyone else wants, the one who makes everything just a little bit more fun. It’s who I am. Or it was who I was. After being kidnapped by Hades, I don’t think anyone would describe me as fun anymore. I certainly wouldn’t describe myself as fun anymore. But I still like to think that there’s some of that mischievous little nymph inside of me somewhere. Even if she’s hiding in the deepest recesses of my heart. That’s why I came up with this plan. This idea that will surely make everyone happy. Even Hades, though he’d never admit it. It happened in the span of an hour. I was sitting in my royal chambers next to my husband, who was hard at work on his computer. We were both in our normal work attire—black jeans and black shirts—though mine was a tank top because all of my shirts were tank tops. I was flipping through a cooking magazine, searching for some inspiration for dinner that night while he tapped away at his keyboard with a kind of ferocity that only he could manage, as if he were going to break it somehow. He’d been in that state ever since we’d come back from our anniversary trip to Olympus. And things were worse than ever down here. There was talk of mutiny in the ranks, and there was even more tension between us than before. I hadn’t thought it was possible for there to be any more tension between us than there already was, but somehow, there was. The malaise had spread throughout the Underground, and it was clear that everyone needed some kind of pick-me-up. Something that would bring everyone together and remind them how powerful we could be. That’s when my eyes fell on the cover of the magazine and an idea planted itself firmly in my mind. It was perfect. “I know what I want to do!” I said. “I’m going to host a bakeoff!” Hades didn’t even so much as glance up from his computer screen, but I saw his fingers tighten around the mouse. “What did you say?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous. “I want to host a bakeoff.” I turned in my seat to face him, excitement buzzing in my veins. He let out an exasperated sigh, shoving his chair back from his desk so hard that it skidded across the floor. “Persephone,” he said slowly as he turned to me, his eyes dark and stormy. “You can’t just do whatever you want.” “Why not?” He rolled his eyes. “Because you’re the queen of the Underworld, and everything you do has consequences.” I held out my hand to him and pouted just a little bit. “But it would be fun.” When he didn’t immediately agree with me, I scooted closer to him and put my hands on his chest. “Please?” I asked, turning on all of my charm for my husband. One corner of his mouth tilted up just slightly, and that’s when I knew that he was going to cave. It wasn’t much—the tiniest hint of a smile—but I took all of my victories with him where I could get them.
Scenario: Persephone, in a playful mood, agrees to host a bakeoff in the Underworld without consulting Hades first.
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Chapter OnePersephoneI’ve never been one to follow the rules. My mother, Demeter, would say that’s an understatement. She’d say I’m a rebel. It’s not my fault. I’m just not one to be confined by rules.But I’m also not one to want to make waves. I’ve always been the easy-going one of the group, the one who follows along with what everyone else wants, the one who makes everything just a little bit more fun. It’s who I am. Or it was who I was.After being kidnapped by Hades, I don’t think anyone would describe me as fun anymore. I certainly wouldn’t describe myself as fun anymore. But I still like to think that there’s some of that mischievous little nymph inside of me somewhere. Even if she’s hiding in the deepest recesses of my heart.That’s why I came up with this plan. This idea that will surely make everyone happy. Even Hades, though he’d never admit it.It happened in the span of an hour. I was sitting in my royal chambers next to my husband, who was hard at work on his computer. We were both in our normal work attire—black jeans and black shirts—though mine was a tank top because all of my shirts were tank tops.I was flipping through a cooking magazine, searching for some inspiration for dinner that night while he tapped away at his keyboard with a kind of ferocity that only he could manage, as if he were going to break it somehow. He’d been in that state ever since we’d come back from our anniversary trip to Olympus. And things were worse than ever down here.There was talk of mutiny in the ranks, and there was even more tension between us than before. I hadn’t thought it was possible for there to be any more tension between us than there already was, but somehow, there was.The malaise had spread throughout the Underground, and it was clear that everyone needed some kind of pick-me-up. Something that would bring everyone together and remind them how powerful we could be.That’s when my eyes fell on the cover of the magazine and an idea planted itself firmly in my mind. It was perfect.“I know what I want to do!” I said. “I’m going to host a bakeoff!”Hades didn’t even so much as glance up from his computer screen, but I saw his fingers tighten around the mouse. “What did you say?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous.“I want to host a bakeoff.” I turned in my seat to face him, excitement buzzing in my veins.He let out an exasperated sigh, shoving his chair back from his desk so hard that it skidded across the floor. “Persephone,” he said slowly as he turned to me, his eyes dark and stormy. “You can’t just do whatever you want.”“Why not?”He rolled his eyes. “Because you’re the queen of the Underworld, and everything you do has consequences.”I held out my hand to him and pouted just a little bit. “But it would be fun.”When he didn’t immediately agree with me, I scooted closer to him and put my hands on his chest. “Please?” I asked, turning on all of my charm for my husband.One corner of his mouth tilted up just slightly, and that’s when I knew that he was going to cave. It wasn’t much—the tiniest hint of a smile—but I took all of my victories with him where I could get them.
"Please?" I ask my husband, knowing that whatever his price, it will be worth it. "I'll do whatever you ask. Give you massages on the daily. Tell my mother to piss off and not go to the Upperworld the next ten years. Whatever!" I know that even if he won't acknowledge it, my theatrics amuses him.One eyebrow arches upward, and the corner of his mouth quirks up just a little. He turns back to his computer and slides his chair closer to his desk, but I can still see the smile that he's trying to hide. "Yes, Persephone, you can have your bakeoff," he says, shaking his head. "But I'm not going to be held responsible for whatever happens."I reach over and pull Hestia, the magazine that I've been flipping through, off the coffee table and flip it open to the page that had caught my attention. "If you're not responsible for me, then who is?" I ask.He lets out a huff of annoyance and leans back in his chair. He crosses his arms over his chest, and I can tell that he's not amused. But he's trying to be for me. "What are you talking about?"I point to the magazine. "The bakeoff. If you don't think I should do it, then who should?"He scowls at me. "I never said you shouldn't do it."He's not wrong. He hasn't actually said those words, but it's clear from the look on his face that he doesn't think this is a good idea.
"Then my original offer stands," I say with a smile. "You can have anything you want in return for letting me do this."He sighs and turns back to his computer. He looks at it for a few moments before reaching up and tapping on the side of his screen. Then he takes his earbud out of his ear and turns to me."Fine," he says, sounding resigned. "Have your bakeoff. Do whatever you want." Two seconds later, though, he's pointing a finger at me and glaring. "But if there are any problems—any problems at all—I'm shutting this down." He pauses for emphasis before continuing. "Do you understand?"I nod quickly. "Of course, Hades."He narrows his eyes at me before sighing again and shaking his head. This man is so confusing sometimes. One minute he's all dark and brooding, the next minute he's like a lovesick teenager when he's around me."Good," he says.I sidle up behind him and give him my best puppy-dog eyes before resting my chin on his shoulder. "You're the best," I say quietly."You know exactly what you're doing," he grumbles."I have no idea what you're talking about," I say with an innocent smile.Hades
I smile at him and start to leave, but then I turn back to him, a playful twinkle in my eye. "Oh, and Hades, my lord? I told them you'd be a judge. You see, nobody is as impartial as you are." Besides that, I know he loves rich chocolate torte with cherries, and I intend to make sure they bake that, plus all of the other treats we've shared together over the years."Persephone," he says with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not playing these games with you."She keeps trying to get me to smile, and when she sees that it's not going to happen, she sticks her tongue out at me and flounces out of my office.I let out a sigh and turn back to my computer, but I can't hide my smile as I watch her go.Sometimes, she makes it impossible for me to stay mad at her even when she knows exactly what she's doing.Chapter 2PersephoneI stand outside of Hades' office and listen for a few moments.When I'm sure that he's not going to follow me—and that he's not looking—I do a little victory dance.I can't believe he actually agreed to let me do this.With the twinkle in his eye, I know that he thinks that I'm up to something—probably because I am—but he'll never be able to prove it.He thinks that he knows me so well, that he knows exactly how my mind works.But one thing he has yet to learn is that when it comes to my pranks and plans, there is always something up my sleeve.And unless he suddenly gains the ability to read minds, he'll never be able to figure it out in time.Once my little celebration is over, I take a deep breath and calm down.
Now I have to go and tell the bakers that we're ready to go.Since I need to start getting ready for the bake-off, I decide to visit my friend Eros. He’s the first person I want to tell about the bake-off. He loves all things love, and I want to show him the poster I made. He’ll love it. But as I approach his store, I realize that he isn’t alone. Someone else is with him. It takes me a second to place the voice, but soon, I recognize it as Apollo—the god of many things, including music and poetry.“Hey, guys!” I say as I walk in, though my eyes are glued to the man behind the counter. “Eros! What are you doing here?”“Hey, Kora,” Eros says with a smirk, leaning back on his arms against the counter. “Just hanging out with Apollo.”“Yeah!” Apollo says with a grin. “I was just telling Eros about some of my new songs, and how they could work perfectly with some of his love potions.”“I think they’re perfect already,” Eros says.I smile and chuckle, then look at Apollo. “What brings you to the Underworld?”“I was just hanging out with Eros,” Apollo says with a shrug. “We were talking business, and I wanted to run some ideas past him.”“Yeah,” Eros says with a knowing smirk, “some of his love songs are sure to be hits with the ladies.” Apollo laughs and gives a little bow.“Eros, can I show you something?” I ask, eager to change the subject.“Sure, Kora,” Eros says with a smile as I pull out the poster from my purse.“I’m hosting a bake-off in the Underworld,” I tell him as he looks at the poster. His eyes light up, and I know he’s about to say something nice.“A bake-off, huh? Sounds like fun!”“Yes!” I say excitedly, “you should definitely come!”
