The news last night troubled Hades, keeping his mind awake for the entire night. This morning, he truly needed that diner's coffee more than ever.  Persephone never eluded him like this before. The two of them may only remember each other one at a time, but he always knew her when he saw her. She always had the same personality, and even the same likes or dislikes. That was becoming more rare as the Olympians started to reincarnate over the decades. For example, Poseidon discovered he isn't a strong swimmer in this life the hard way.

          The problem was Persephone never had this problem. She usually had the same look about her as well. She always had hair that was the color of barley, which he assumed was because of her mother's barley business back in the day. Her eyes would change color from time to time, but they would always be a green or sometimes even blue. In the past it was easy to pick out a girl like this from a crowd, but this time he had to admit a lot more women looked like her these days.

          He assumed that had to be the problem. He was so focused on looking for a girl that resembled her features rather than her personality. Poseidon was right, he did become a bit shallow over time. His time in the line of the diner came to and end as he grabbed his drink and continued on. He walked down the brick paved street and sipped on his morning brew. As he drank his coffee he remembered Persephone and how she brought him a cup every morning back home. That was something she would always do for him, no matter what. Even in their reincarnated lives she kept up this tradition.

          Poseidon's words echoed back to him, as if they didn't haunt him long enough last night. He wanted Hades to look for smaller details, small clues that could help him find Persephone more quickly than Demeter. He knew it was important, because Demeter only wanted to take her away. One thing was always true about Persephone, she always wished she had known her mother. When Demeter arrived, usually too late, she would reveal herself to Persephone as her mother and the two would be estranged after that.

          "She's just too... uppity." Her words were clear as crystal in his mind. He thought back on the first time Demeter tried to enter her life when they were mortal. The golden rays of morning came through the cabin they had built together. The wheat could be seen growing just past, and every now and then a breeze would send some of it flying through the window. This particular morning she was laughing at the flutters of golden wheat as they fell around her. She launched herself into his arms and offered him a kiss. "I'd much rather enjoy every morning with you, my love." She leaned in, bringing her face ever closer to his. A loud sound erupted through his memory, something that wasn't suppose to be there.

          The car honked at him as he walked across the street. Hades was quick to move out of the way, dropping his coffee in the process. He had walked out without thinking, and barely got to enjoy his drink. He watched as the black liquid moved between the bricks of the street, and he picked up his cup. He tossed it into a nearby bin and continued on his way. The clinic was a few steps away, at least. He walked through the door and removed his acid wash jacket, placing it over his arm as Jessica walked through from the patient rooms.

          Her eyes fell on him quickly, but her smile was bright as ever. "I figured you wouldn't have time for coffee." She set down her notepad and bounced over to the waiting room desk. She picked up a small cup of coffee and held it out to him. "You were out late last night, and you seemed troubled before you left work. I figured you'd need another one this morning." As she held it out to him, he adjusted his jacket and stared at the cup. Poseidon's words haunted him again, but he just felt wrong about this.

          Jessica was offering him a coffee. It was uncharacteristic of her, considering how much she despised how it made him late for work. She also hated the flavor of that particular one and teased him about it. She moved closer to him, offering the cup a bit more impatiently. "Let me guess, you've come to realize I was right and think this coffee is awful?" She teased again, so naturally like herself. He took it from her, handing off his briefcase as part of the usual routine. She walked it into his office and started to organize his work on his desk. 

          Coffee. Coffee was a small detail. He looked after her and watched as she worked for the morning. He just stood there with a dopey kind of look in his eyes. She was nothing like Persephone. Sure, she had the barley blonde hair and the blue eyes but that wasn't enough. There was no way he could grow up with this girl and not know she was Persephone. She would constantly pick on him, and she didn't pick up on academics like Persephone did in the past. However, the coffee was always something that stood out. Even before the times of Coffee, Persephone found other ways to get him a warm drink in the mornings.

          "Jessica," He started, grabbing her attention. She smiled when she looked up at him, and continued her work. "You're welcome." She responded, not really letting him say thank you. He decided there wasn't really enough evidence there to believe this woman could be her all this time. He covered his thoughts in doubt and tried to focus on what was going on for the day. He asked Jessica for the rundown of appointments and then took his seat.

          The day was a long one, like usual. However they had a break between appointments today that was both a blessing and odd. It may have been a small town, but there was also a university in the area and those students were always in here for something. He looked at the wall clock and noticed it was about noon, so he called over Jessica for quick question. As she entered the room she smiled, "Where's the beef?" She teased, wondering why he was calling for her all of a sudden.

          "Would you like lunch? We don't have another appointment until later today so I was going to send you out. If that's alright with you?" Jessica laughed, slapping her notepad into the palm of her hand to show how hysterical he must of been. "You think you can run this office by yourself? What if you have a walk-in?" Hades raised an eyebrow at her and rose up from his desk. He placed his hands on top of it and leaned towards her. "Excuse me, I am a doctor. I think I can handle this place on my own for a while."

          He moved out from behind the desk, straightening his posture and fixing his white coat. He went over to the Acid wash jacket hanging on the wall and grabbed his wallet, pulling out some cash to give to her. "Besides, I'm sure you're hungry. Head down to the Cafe and get whatever you want, and get me-" She took the cash from him and placed it in her pocket, shooing him with her other hand. "Yes, yes, a turkey and swiss." She confirmed and headed out the door.

          There may have been one or two walk-ins while she was gone, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He got their paperwork filled out and checked them out rather quickly. One had a bruised knee and the other was trying to get out of school for the day. He looked at the young boy with a knowing look before turning to his mother. "He should have plenty of rest for the day. Keep him in bed until tomorrow morning and he should be feeling a lot better." The mother thanked him and took away her son, who was glaring at Hades for restricting him to this bed for the whole day.

          Jessica passed them on the way in and she laughed a bit at the looks the boy was giving him. "I'm sure you cured him, boss." Hades laughed with her, taking the bags from her and getting their food sorted out. As they ate, Hades noticed that Jessica didn't seem to be herself anymore. She was picking at her salad instead of eating it, after Hades finished his meal he started to wonder about it. "Is something wrong, Jess?" 

         She looked at him and offered an awkward kind of half smile. "Oh, nothing!" She was quick to say, which Hades didn't believe but he wasn't one to push. He started to gather the trash from his meal and put it into the bag when she decided maybe she could share her thoughts. "Do you remember Skylar from when we were kids?" Hades nodded, standing up from his desk. "Skylar Adams? Of course. She was the shy one who hung around you a lot. Why?" He threw away his trash and went to lean against his desk. He crossed his arms and waited for her response.

          "Well, she was at the Cafe earlier and asked me... well..." Hades watched as she stuffed her face, suddenly finding the meal delicious enough to not speak clearly. "She wants me to go on a double date with her." Hades took this news in a few different ways. One, he wanted Jessica to go out with someone other than himself. Maybe this would lead her to want someone other than him for a change. Two, if she really was Persephone he couldn't just let her date someone else. They were meant to be together, and he would have to make a move sooner rather than later.  He decided to ask a safer question than betray his thoughts.

          "Oh? Who are you planning to take with you?" She laughed again, decided she was finished with her salad and moved on to her grilled cheese sandwich. "You see, that's not the only tricky part." Jessica started to explain what was going on. She and Skylar had been close friends this whole time, but hadn't included Hades in on the girl time since he got back. Skylar was interested in a blind date, one set up purely out of common interest instead of appearances. However, she didn't want to go alone so she had asked Jessica to find a date and make it a double date. 

          Hades listened intently, but only out of how peculiar the situation was. Skylar was shy growing up, that he could remember, so it would make sense she would want a double date. However what was strange was asking someone who obviously didn't have a romantic partner to join them for a double date. Maybe it was to avoid looking like a chaperon. Hades had a lot of questions, but he wanted to start with the simple ones first. "Do you have someone in mind or Skylar?" 

          He figured this was the important question. He knew Jessica went out a lot and was curious what kind of men she'd been around. He was thinking of her like she was Persephone, for the safety of it. Jessica smiled, suddenly turning into a schoolgirl with great gossip. "Well you see, she's mentioned being attracted to a florist in town, Oliver Brown. I happen to know him and was going to set them up!" She clapped her hands together, looking way more excited about this than Hades personally was. "Isn't that great? She's going to be so surprised!"

          Now all that was left was the obvious question. However, what he said probably took Jessica off guard. "Jess, have you found a date yet?" She looked away from him, her hands falling back as she grabbed her sandwich again. "Well, you see I-" Hades could see the conflict on her face. She was bringing the sandwich closer to her mouth and trying to hide behind it. "I'd love to, Jess." Hades quickly answered her, before she could even ask.

         If Jessica was Persephone, he wanted to be clear about it himself. What better way than to take her out on a date. It may not be the best of circumstances but it was a chance to get to know her more nonetheless. He had gone off to college to become a doctor, so a lot of her adult life was a mystery to Hades. That could of been why he didn't know if she was Persephone, all along. Even though he was doubtful, he wanted to confirm it himself. 

          Jessica smiled, nodding her head. Before she could speak, however, Hades placed his hand on hers and winked. "You're welcome." He said before she could say thank you. It was much like that morning when she offered him the coffee. The door's bell was hit and announced another walk-in. Jessica quickly put down her sandwich but Hades motioned for her to stay. "Finish your lunch. I've got this."

Author's Note: This chapter is the absolute rough draft. This week I traveled a bit, so I didn't get a chance to do my usual editing and proof-reading. If you happen across anything that might seem off or sound strange, please let me know! I didn't get a chance to send this beta readers before posting it due to the early update.