Blooms of the Underworld [Chaennie]

Hades, magnanimous, whose realms profound are fix'd beneath the firm and solid ground,
In the Tartarian plains remote from fight, and wrapt forever in the depths of night;
Terrestrial Zeus, thy sacred ear incline, and, pleas'd, accept thy mystic's hymn divine.
Earth's keys to thee, illustrious king belong, its secret gates unlocking, deep and strong.

- Orphic Hymn to Hades

---

The pomegranate was perfectly formed in her hand - no imperfections at all.

Jennie didn't expect anything else. All of her creations were perfect. They did exactly as she asked whenever she asked. It was no different with this pomegranate.

She held it out in front of her, eyes narrowed as she stared at it.

It wouldn't take much at all for her to lean forward and take a bite. It would be practically nothing. She could easily sink her teeth into the flesh of the fruit and remain trapped in the Underworld for all eternity.

Briefly, she wondered if trapped was the right word. She wondered if it was truly being trapped if she went willingly - if she willingly chose to take a bite of the fruit, to stay with Roseanne in the Underworld for the rest of time.

Her heart swelled at the thought. Staying with Roseanne didn't feel like being trapped like she was back on that Olympus. Staying with Roseanne, if anything, felt freeing. If felt like she could do anything with Roseanne at her side - even condemn herself to living indefinitely in the Underworld with nobody but Shades and other chthonic gods for company.

The tales she had been told as a child had painted the picture of the Underworld as a dreary place - that even Elysium fields was nothing but a gilded cage for its inhabitants. The stories of her childhood had been incredibly biased, leaving out all of the wonders that the Underworld held. They didn't speak of the beauty of Roseanne's palace nor of the soothing music of Elysium or the sense of community within Asphodel.

They left out everything that didn't paint the Underworld to be a place of torment, a cage made to keep all of the dead inside - lest they escape by bathing on the River Lethe and forgetting everything about themselves so they could be reincarnated again.

So, Jennie stared at the pomegranate in her hand and made her decision.

"Jennie!" Ella yelled, her little feet thundering down the path," There you are!"

"Ella," Jennie greeted, smiling at the little girl," Did you need me for something?"

"It's dinnertime!" Ella exclaimed," Uncle Elijah told me to tell you that you have to go and see Roseanne! He said to tell you that you're both sickeningly sweet and me and him are going to leave you two alone for dinner!"

---

Roseanne had never been worried about Zeus before. He wasn't even a thought on her mind as she sat down at her desk to do her paperwork. He was nothing but an inconvenience, much like a fly that buzzed around every so often before disappearing again.

But, there Roseanne was, leaning back in her seat, thoughts consumed with the king who ruled from Mount Olympus.

Fear was another thing that Roseanne wasn't used to but she recognised the feeling deep in her gut. Thoughts of Zeus morphed into worry which then turned into fear. Fear of Zeus coming down to her realm personally. Fear of losing Jennie...Fear of just how much presence Jennie had in her life.

Roseanne wasn't entirely sure what she planned to do if Jennie left one day. She didn't know what she would do if Jennie disappeared from her life - no more brown eyes sparkling in mischief, no more red cheeks after Roseanne gave her compliments, no more coming into the gardens to find Ella sitting on Jennie's shoulder as she picked pomegranates off of the tree that had been grown.

"My Lady?" William prompted," I sense you are worried about something. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Roseanne looked up from her paperwork and cleared her throat awkwardly. "No," She said," I am fine, William."

William gave her a look. "I find that hard to believe," He said," Are you sure that there is nothing to discuss?"

"No," Roseanne said again," It's personal. Nothing to do with the Underworld."

William sighed. "Forgive me for overstepping, My Lady, but anything personal to you has to do with the Underworld. You are our Queen. If you do not wish to discuss then I will drop it."

Roseanne looked away from him, focussing on the green flames that roared in her fireplace. Her fingers drummed a beat on the surface of her desk. "Zeus," She said finally," I have it on good intelligence that he may come down here personally."

"To see you lover?"

"To see Jennie, yes."

"Would you like my advice, My Lady?"

"Please, speak your truth, William."

"I believe that the Lady Jennie will not leave willingly. Zeus has no authority here and the Lady Jennie does not seem to want to leave your side."

A smile quirked the corners of Roseanne's mouth upwards. "The 'Lady Jennie'?"

William cleared his throat and looked away. "She is a good match for you," He confessed," And I have no doubt that you will give her equal standing to you. Hence, Lady Jennie."

---

"It's beautiful," Jennie said, mouth hanging open in shock.

"Just like you."

A kiss was pressed against the nape of her neck.

Jennie had expected a normal dinner when she had arrived in the dining room but, clearly, Roseanne had other plans.

A black dress was hanging on one of the walls. It was the same colour as Roseanne's usual suit but it had a silver sheen that glittered like molten starlight.

"I had it made a few days ago," Roseanne confessed as she guided Jennie into her seat," I thought that you might like some formal wear here. You can't stay in jeans and a hoodie for eternity."

Jennie drew her attention away from the dress to poke Roseanne in the side. "You like my jeans and hoodies. You said I look cute in them."

Roseanne pressed a kiss to the back of Jennie's hand. "You do," She said," I wasn't lying." She suddenly turned nervous and bit down onto her bottom lip. "Do you not like the dress? I can commission another for you."

"Don't be silly," Jennie leaned forward and finally captured Roseanne's lips in a soft kiss," I love it. It's perfect." Her eyes twinkled with mischief. "Especially for, as you said, eternity."

Roseanne felt her cheeks colour slightly and she found that she couldn't look away from Jennie's teasing eyes. "I did not mean to overstep," She said," It is just...I find myself thinking to the future." She cleared her throat. "Perhaps, if you are amenable, we may continue this thing between us for a long time...a very long time."

Jennie grinned. "Well," She said, her voice taking on a teasing tone," Since you've given me such a lovely dress, who am I to refuse? I am quite amenable to continuing this for a very long time."