Everyone who reads this should know the pain of heartbreak. If you don't, I fear you will in the process of reading this timeless romance. You know the story well, at least the the one you were told by their people. The God cast his eyes on her, his heart yearned and he would will her to be his own. The original story is spun by those who do not understand the Gods, so I assume you're here to learn another version of this myth?

           The original story was meant to explain the seasons, and of course there always has to be a villain in their stories. Some, moral to learn. Everyone knows the tale of the evil, King Hades and his lust for the innocent Persephone, and yet in recent years you've seen their story told differently. Each time you see these two in your modern world, they are not characters of a dark story that the people of their time made them out to be out of fear.

          This is their true story bleeding through reality and trying to reach you, the ones who would take this story to their own hearts, to see the truth behind the lies. The truth is, Hades did not force Persephone to love him. She was willing to give her soul to this God and bear herself before him as his Queen. Their love was legendary in Olympus, and caused chaos for the Realms of Gods and Man.

          This world use to carry no purpose. It was once just a place for humans to live meaningless lives, fearful of the gods above them. They recorded many great stories about the things they couldn't understand, but we forget that they didn't understand. This is one of the greatest stories ever told by the ancient Greeks, and yet they didn't understand the true nature of King Hades and his Queen, Persephone.

          Their story is told through the lips of the living, and how can we trust their words when they speak of a world only known to the dead? They had to assume the events of the underworld. Sometimes they even believed the cursed lips of those who swore their words were those of the Gods themselves.

         The story tells of a God, greedy for the beauty Persephone possessed and who wanted her at his side at whatever cost. He cast his attentions to her and only her, like a monster would talk their victims before their crimes were committed. He hunted her down and stole her from the loving grasp of her dear mother, Demeter. 

          This is what they want you to believe, but this particular story found you because you want to believe there was something else. Your mind is open the possibility there was true love between them. You want to believe that Hades only wanted to care for the woman he made his Queen. Calm your heart, reader. Your imagination is correct. Hades was not a God of Greed or Hate. He did cast his eyes on Persephone and want her, but he only found her beautiful like a young man would a passing stranger.

          Hades was a forced to be a lonely god. He was the eldest of three brothers who overthrew their father, leaving Olympus without a king. Hades was cunning, the first in line, and brought in the most support for their war against the Titans. He had the potential to be God of Gods, and the youngest of the brothers was hungry for the vacant throne.

          Hades, being the kind of God he was decided they should settle things before another war was brought down on this world. He suggest a game of chance, one where none of them could possibly have an advantage over the other. Each realm needed a King, but only one was concerned about his place among them. 

          Three great trees grew on the earth, a neutral ground for all the Gods. Each of the brothers picked a tree, and the order in which their trees bore fruit would determine who would rule each realm. The first tree belonged to Zeus, and when his tree bore fruit before the others he laid claim to The Skies, the King of the Gods.

          Poseidon's tree bore the next fruit, and he laid claim to the Seas, nearly all of the Realm of Man. Hades' tree never bore fruit. Instead it started to decay, and later died. It was seen as a bad omen among the Gods, but to show tolerance of his brother Zeus gave him the Underworld.

          He locked Hades away in a job that he didn't deserve. He became the great King of the Underworld, away from the eyes of others and the love of his family. When he cast his eyes on someone as beautiful as Persephone, he yearned not for her figure but for her company. Who could blame a man who desperately wanted to share his life with someone else?

          Storytellers of old and new are enchanted by the original myth. I'm sure you, dear Reader, are familiar with a few of these tales. I assume you're also smart enough to find a familiar theme between them. The plot of an unknown romance. This is why this story, among so many others, has also found its way to you. You are meant to read these words, hear this story, and carry it with you.

          Hades had love for Persephone. There was no hate or false feelings between them. This story of old, the original, is one that tends to manipulate the minds of lesser people. It was meant to make them believe that the Underworld was a dark place, full of suffering. A home to a God they blamed took away their harvest season and replaced it with the cold air of his realm. It makes you wonder, who truly passed on these myths. Was it truly the work of fearful mortals, or the work of Gods who feared another?