Hell’s Belle

Author's note: This was gonna be my submission for the Halloween mix tape, but it didnt work there, so I am letting it go free as a solo.

The last “normal” day of my life started out like most of them had since I flunked out of college a year ago - looking for another meaningless dead-end job.

Not that it seemed to matter if I found one, my record so far at one place was just over a month.

But my morning’s search online was interrupted by an explosion in my kitchen.

I ran towards the noise, and discovered that where my stove had been there was now shrapnel everywhere, the walls had been blackened, and standing in the midst of the ruin were two ... beings.

They were small, the tallest being not quite half my height, and were dressed as if they had heard about fashions third-hand, and were trying it out for the first time. The taller one was wearing a top hat, a trenchcoat, and jogging pants, and the shorter one was wearing a cowboy hat, a t-shirt, and pants that stopped at the knee.

“What the hell is going on ?” I shouted.

“She’s so close. Not hell, but Hades.” said the shorter one to the taller one.

“Well, she has been away for a while.” The taller one replied.

“What ‘She’ are you talking about. I’m a guy!” I snapped.

“And I’m Zeus. Who do you think you’re fooling, deary?” the shorter one sneered.

I must have looked like I was going to hit him, because the taller one said, “Hey, relax. Why dont we go to the living room, and tell you the whole story.”

I felt a ... familiarity to these two creatures, and so despite my misgivings I led them to the living room, and we sat down.

The taller one said, “Once upon a time, Hades, god of the underworld, needed a bride, and so found one in Persephone. However, that caused some problems, and eventually it was settled that she would spend half the year with her husband, and half the year she would spend in Olympus. But two years ago, something went wrong, and she did not return to Hades as she was supposed to.”

“Wait a second. Hades? Persephone? That’s all myths!” I exclaimed.

He sighed, and pulled out of his pocket something that looked like a seed, and broke it open.

Before I could stop myself, I was breathing in a sweet perfume ...
And I knew the truth. I had been Persephone. I had been on my way back to my husband Hades when one of the Furies attacked me. Fleeing the maddened creature, I went to the Fates to find a way to hide from it.

And they had made me a mortal man.

No wonder being a male had always felt so wrong ...

“Are you alright, my lady?” The taller one asked, and I remembered his name - he was Pain, one of my husband’s servants, and the shorter one was called Panic.

“I will be as soon as I'm back to being myself again” I said, “Let us go to the Fates, so they can restore me.”

“As you wish, my lady.” Pain said, “I’m sure Hades wont mind a short detour if it means you come home in your proper form.”

Despite my current form, I still blushed thinking about how he will show me how much he’s missed me, and then we were off ...

End.