Dear Diary,

I have been trapped here in the Underworld, away from my mother and father and my friends for a period of time that feels like an eternity. Time truly has no meaning in this dark and evil place, and though at first I was scared when Hades brought me here on his chariot, I have become more accustomed to this strange place over time.

Upon arriving, I was frightened by the grey and dejected faces of the dead spirits that passed through, looking at me with their hollowed eyes. Hades has no fear—it is one thing I admire about him—and introduced me to them as their queen, the Queen of the Dead. Though this title confused me, it also made me feel a sense of excitement. For so long, I have lived in the shadow of my father Zeus, a great and powerful god, and my mother Demeter, who is loved by all the people of the Physical World. But what was I? Who admired me, loved me, worshipped me above all else? Now, I am loved, worshipped and feared as the Queen of the Dead. Hades says I am the most beautiful queen of all time, and I can’t help but blush when he says so.

Though I have come to care for Hades—nay, even love him in my own strange way—I cannot forget the warm embrace of my mother and I miss her presence. I have heard murmurings among the dead souls that come to the Underworld that all is not well in the Physical World, and I sense that many of them have died as a result of poor harvests, which can only be attributed to my mother’s neglect. I feel a great sense of guilt, as I know my mother cannot truly survive without me, and though I would give anything to see her face again, it would hurt me to leave this place and surrender my status as Queen. Perhaps I would never see Hades again.

Last night Hades prepared a special feast in my honour. “To my Queen,” he said, and raised his glass in a toast. “I have a rare treat for you, my dear.”  He then presented me with a beautifully ruby-red fruit I had never seen before. “It is a pomegranate,” he explained, and he fed me four of its sweet red seeds, one by one. There was an unusual glint in his eye, one that suggested that to him this fruit had special meaning. “We are truly bonded now,” he said. “Nothing will ever tear us apart.”

Oh, Diary, I sense a commotion in the hallway outside my door. I must be off for now but will write again soon. 

- Persephone -