Short Story-1

Coral Chen Block E 11/2/2015 CP Miracle Behind the mountain, there is a forest that seems dangerous like the Amazon. However, if somebody can get out the forest alive, they can see the totally different world. The endless ocean reflects the clear and boundless sky, and in front of the ocean there is a white British palace. There are two silhouettes standing on the terrace far away. If you get closer, you can see a tall man with a tuxedo. He has dark hair and eyes as red as ruby, and a little girl with him wears a Victorian-style dress. "Michaelis, I want to become like Persephone! I want to change my name to Persephone!" The little girl's eyes shine like a star, talking to her deacon and pointing to the thick, classical book in front of her: The Greek Myths. She doesn't know why she likes Persephone so much, but she just feels familiar with the goddess. Outside the window, the sunshine is bright. Surf coming from a distance and the gulls fly above the mild sea waves. Footsteps saw from the end of the dark corridor. It's Michaelis. He wears a tuxedo, walks in front the door and just stands there. Sunshine through the window covers Michaelis' shoulder and obscures his face. " Sorry..." drawing a sigh from his mouth. He looks up the door and seems to see the girl inside, then walks away. "Happy Birthday, Persephone." A party is going on at Persephone's house. Today is her 25th birthday. Everything is dark around Persephone except for the 24 candles. She holds the narcissus necklace in her hands and closes her eyes. Persephone make a wish in her heart and

blows out the candles. Outside the window, the meteor shower that appear once in thousand years starts. After the party, Persephone goes back to her room. She doesn't know that there is a surprise waiting for her. She opens the door, to find a hundred red flowers placed on the ground as carpet. The white bed in the middle is very prominent. Although she doesn't recognize these flowers, it still affects her. Persephone knows that is Michaelis who did this for her. Michaelis is her deacon, but he is just like her family. He is somebody she can trust because every time she needs Michaelis, he always helps her. After Persephone falls asleep, Michaelis suddenly appears in her room with a glowing knife. The knife inserted into her heart, Persephone open her eyes slowly. Her vision is blurry. "Why?" Persephone never thinks that her closest person would betray. Blood is flowing slowly. Gradually, it dyes the bed sheet as red as the red flowers on the floor. They are Manjusaka, the flowers that grow in hell. In the dark, her necklace suddenly blinks. Then everything back to silence again, just like nothing happened. Persephone is the daughter of the goddess of the harvest, Demeter. Persephone is pretty like a flower. She has long gold hair just like her father Zeus, and beautiful brown eyes from her mother. These days, Persephone feels that she is forgetting something, but every time she tries to remember, her head hurts. Just like today, her head hurts again, so she decides to take a walk to her "secret garden". That is the place her mother gave her to be her personal space. Anybody who passes the garden will subconscious ignore the place. Today she feels somebody is watching her, there even when she is in her secret garden. But when she looks around, there is nobody. Persephone doesn't feel malevolence and she can't find the person, so she just ignores that feeling and starts to paint. After she finishes, she sees there is a man behind her, staring at her. The man

has dark hair like ink and pretty emerald eyes. In the following days, every time Persephone comes to the garden, the man is there. Finally, they start to talk. Persephone just knows the man very erudite. However, both Persephone and the man are tacit and don't mention their names. One day on Persephone's way home, she gets a letter from her best friend, Pallas. Pallas is the daughter of the son of Poseidon: Triton. When she gets there, she sees a scene that almost makes her heart stop: Athena, using a spear to lunge into Pallas heart. Pallas falls down and Athena face. Persephone feels everything spinning around her and her head hurts unbearable. She falls into a coma. The man who with Persephone these days in her secret garden suddenly appear and lifting hold Persephone, then leave this place. Persephone remembers everything now. Athena's betrayal awakens Persephone's memory about Michaelis' betrayal. If she has a chance, she needs to ask Michaelis the reason he did that. But now, the problem is, where is she? Persephone looks around. She in a wooded house. Outside the window there is a sea of flower, colorful flowers sway under the sun. It's seems somebody was watching her, because when she opened her eyes, someone enters the room immediately. It is the man who was with her in the garden. " Officially introducing myself, I am Hades." Hades looks at Persephone tenderly. "I am Persephone." Persephone is very surprised now. She doesn't know the mild mannered man is the legendary marblehearted god. However, she isn't afraid of Hades, not only is her quenelle her, but also Hades is her favorite character in Greek Myths because he is one of the minority who preserving his moral integrity, he isn't like Zeus, who has children with several women. " Where I am now?" Persephone asks Hades." You are in my territory, the underworld. You are safe now, nobody can hurt you." " Why is there sunshine here?" Persephone can't believe what Hades just said, it's such a sunny and pretty place,

and it doesn't match with gloomy underworld. " Because this is the place I built for you, Elysee Paradise." Silence. Persephone's face getting red, she is embarrassed to look at Hades' eyes." I need to go check something." Persephone said that, then run away from the underworld. "Underworld's door always open for you." Demeter's palace, Persephone's face is pale. How dare are Athena! Her mother Demeter is telling Persephone yesterday at the Olympus party, Athena told everybody that few days ago, she was playing "war game" with Pallas. When they were fighting with each other, Pallas was absent-minded and forgot to defense Athena's attachment, so Athena's spear lunge into Pallas heart. In memory of Pallas, Athena changed her first name to Pallas. Persephone sneer, Athena's excuse really rightful, she puts all the false part to Pallas, and let others think she deeply cherish the memory of Pallas. In fact, this is Zeus' plan, to warning Poseidon does not try in vain to take the throne from him. Persephone hopes Zeus doesn't have another plan that can hurts her family and friends. " Hades..." Persephone is worry about Hades, this time is Poseidon, and next time will be the underworld. Demeter heard the whispers, in an inaudible sigh, tells Persephone: " Go to your garden, there is a surprise waiting for you." On Persephone's way to her secret garden, suddenly a big dark hole in front of her. That's Hades! He reins six horses, comes to Persephone and snatched her. Then they both fall into the big hole. Around they are several narcissus petal, saintly and pure. "Would you marry me, to be the queen of the underworld?" Hades' eyes, full of love, look at Persephone, waiting for her answer. She finally understand why her mother's eyes so complex. It's a traditional wedding ceremony that bridegroom must grab bride from her home, and when bride also want to marry bridegroom, then marriage approved. " Yes, I do." Tears sparkled in Persephone's eyes, Hades is

a good husband choice, and she likes Hades too. Hades softly puts the pomegranate crown that represents the queen of the underworld on Persephone's head, then leads her away from the darkness. Years through, the love between Hades and Persephone become stronger little by little, finally became the inalienable part of their life. One day, the messenger said Athena came and wants to see Persephone. Persephone doesn't know why Athena comes and what she will do, but Persephone doesn't know where Hades go, so she just go to Acheron along. By the riverside, Athena stand there, looks at her with smile. " I know you see what happened with Pallas." Athena smiles deviously. " And today is your day." Persephone feels something insert her soul, she looks the weapon, that's Zeus' truncheon. Gods body can remodeling, but not soul, and Zeus's truncheon is the only one that can hurt the Gods’ soul; Zeus spent a lot for get rid of Persephone. Athena seems knows what Persephone thinking about, say:" You are the only weakness of Hades, and by the way, Hades has no time to save you,” laughed Athena complacently. When Hades comes back, one could only see the blood offending to the eyes, he hold Persephone's body, promise to her, he will not let Zeus and Zeus' followers off. Hades used all his power to make all the Olympus's gods fall in curse, then he gash sky, go to other spacetime to find his wife. Persephone doesn't how long it passed, she just feel something fixing her soul. If she can see, she will know that her crown. Hades uses 1/5 of his power to make the crown for protect Persephone. After a long time, Persephone finally open her eyes, it's the house she lived with Michaelis! She comes back to modern times! Persephone see Michaelis comes to her, she wants to say something, but Michaelis just pass through her. Persephone realizes nobody can hear her

soul. Suddenly a girl comes in, that the body Persephone used before, she heard Michaelis softly call the girl Pandora. Persephone thinks she understand something, she use her power to extract Michaelis' memory: Once upon a time, a crow saw a petty girl called Pandora that Olympus' gods made for release the world's evil to destroy the earth, the crow immediately loved the girl. The crow ate people's soul to become a human being. However, when he succeeded, the girl die. He became crazy, maybe he doesn't love Pandora, but Pandora already become his obsessiveness. Through thousand years, he finally find a way to resurge Pandora. That's find a perfect contain for Pandora's soul, killed when she is 24 years old and summon Pandora's soul from hell. Persephone forgive Michaelis, she can understand Michaelis can do anything for love, and for the smile on their face. Walk from the house she familiar with, come to the busy street. Everything is happy around her, but she just feels lonely. Persephone feels someone staring at her, when her turns back, she see Hades. Hades stands there as nothing happened, loving her just like before.