*starts searching through the ingredients*

let's seeeee. romance? nah, not yet. fluff? nope, that on the next chapters alongside romance. what am i gonna give the loyal readers today after lying ONCE AGAIN about feeding them chapters a lot later? aha! i got it!

*puts a napkin on the baby reader and takes from the bowl of themes the first spoonful of angst, drama and sadness*

enjoy! here comes the airplaneee! brrrrrrshchchc *airplane noises made by mouth intensify*

As instructed, Persephone entered the Renrink's office very early in the morning. She had gone there slightly in a hurry, as she was left yesterday wondering what the necromancer wanted to discuss with her this time. Just half a minute alone inside the office later, she felt the temperature dropping.

Soon after a dark cloud slid and stopped 2 steps away from her, growing a head taller than the skeleton woman. The cloud took the typical form of Master Hades, already staring down at her, indifferent and cold.

"Good. Since you're here, let's get to the point." Persephone nodded. "In less than 2 months, there will come some special faces in my house, which for once in my existence, I'll have them staying for a few days, a week at most. They claimed through letters, they've heard about my fame and influence in politics from where they live. And they've heard of the rumors about your daughters too, already making reputation of their own. Their leader will not come himself to visit, he will send a delegation of his most important and high hierarchy faces before him to visit Valencia and get to meet me. The reasons are mainly for political discussions." Persephone was listening to Hades quietly, despite having the fair question of what did she have to do with the guests. The necromancer could clearly see the confusion in her eyesockets, so he simply kept talking. "Until now, I didn't care to the slightest about impressions and appearances, but for this once, I at last choose a change. A rearrangement. One, which you and your daughters will be the ones most capable of handling. I'm talking about the beginning area of the garden." As he expected to see, he saw the surprise in Persephone's eyesockets and proceeded to scold and curse himself for finding this reaction adorable.

"The... garden?" The skeleton woman asked slowly and hesitantly. Was she suspecting right? Was she going to hear what she thought she was going to hear?

"Consider this as the opportunity to expand your 'lively' plans around my house. This time having the actual permission to do so, by me. All other maids will work to make the place spotless. What you will be doing, Miss Perspehone, will be completely different. Aside the few broken things around the beginning area of the garden that need to be fixed, you, mainly, will be assigned bring it to life. No, I'm not stuttering, you are allowed to bring flora in the garden, as I know so well you wanted this too for so long." He announced. Persephone didn't know if she had to be excited or confused and uneasy.

"Are you... certain?"

"Work your magic and do something that will be at least appealing to the eyes of the guests. Not like they go crazy for flowers, but they must feel a little at ease. Besides I will also get my portion of inner laughter by their surprise seeing plant life in the house of death." And as he looked away he almost seemed ready to give a small grin right here and then. But he kept the straight face. And turned again to look at Persephone. "I don't care what the beginning area of the garden will look like in the end, just fix it. And if you do a splendid job, indicated by the guests' reaction... you get to keep it." The woman thought she didn't hear well the last sentence.

"Keep... it?" Her pupils almost lit up.

"If, the guests show to like the garden. Then again I suppose you have nothing to worry about, since almost everyone more or less seems to appreciate the presence of flowers. And with how you've made your own little comfy zone further in the garden, consider the beginning area already yours to claim too."

"... And you don't appreciate to the slightest the flowers?"

Suddenly Persephone had jumped to a rather more personal subject directed towards Hades. The 2 skeletons stared at each other for rather many seconds, with the taller seemingly being slight caught off guard by the question. Eventually he just scoffed.

"... They leave me deadly indifferent. Besides they hate me because of my nature."

"You understand them?!" Persephone asked surprised.

"Not what they say, I'm no plant whisperer. But I read the mood Miss Persephone. I sense the hostility in the air. The few times I've come close to your comfort zone, I am almost completely certain that your 'innocent' plants are insulting me in more than 5 languages with the tension I sense from them." Somehow that sounded funny for Persephone and she looked away to cover her huge grin. The very next moment she felt the other's hand gripping her chin and forcing her to look up to his almost glaring expression. "You dare laugh at me?"

"Oh no..."

She stopped smiling completely and started feeling her arms and legs weak from worry and fear. How she hated feeling defenseless towards that man. There, she had paralyzed again. Hades saw her fear and proceeded to scoff while rolling his eyesockets and letting go of her.

"Just one more detail to keep in mind and a lead for the beginning area of the garden: go for a thematic mainly about roses. If you have an idea of what other plants might fit in the area, plant them. But roses should be the main flower. No yellow ones... That's all. We're done talking. Dismissed." He said and shooed her away with a wave of his hand. Persephone approached the door and opened it, feeling an inexplicable shiver running down her spine hearing Hades delivering his 3 final words to her after the end of their conversation. "Mucha suerte, mariposa."

About 2 years now he was calling her that every now and then, aside just Miss Persephone. Butterfly. Always in an indifferent, almost sarcastic tone. The way that word was passed to her by him was causing Persephone to feel insecure. At least that was the closest she could describe herself what she felt after hearing Hades calling her butterfly.

The skeleton woman stopped her overthinking only minutes later by stumbling upon her daughters ready to go about their day with their training. Knowing no one was around yet to see her act normally, she gently cupped one by one her daughters' faces and gave to each from a kiss on their foreheads.

Then she bid them to go about their day and she went about her own. They reunited again much earlier than usual however, as the monster head maid approached her and repeated to her slowly and many times that she was dismissed from her chores because the triplets had asked her to come.

Yes, thanks to the Renrink's favor, the girls could every now and then give commands around the house. They've done that rarely and all those times were only to call Persephone-'Morana', come to them. As of now. When the 4 Sófrons met up and made sure no one else could listen, Athena was the first to speak up.

She told Persephone that Master Hades had told them that their daily teaching sessions would be cut in half and today and for the next days, as he had told their mother they would be doing something important, in preperation of welcoming the important guests in less than 2 months.

Also that the skeleton woman knew the details. Persephone proceedeed to tell the girls about the conversation her and Master Hades had in the morning. The triplets stared at each other in surprise then at Persephone, excitement taking over.

"For real?! He's letting us bring more of the garden to life?!" Aphrodite asked excited.

Even though Persephone never believed that such day would come, she had long ago made plans and drawn in many ways how she imagined the beginning area of the garden, alive and filled with plants, even from when the triplets were still soulings and every now and then daring to tell them about her ideas out loud.

Until the deadline, the 4 skeleton women worked hard with the garden. Rather, the triplets were working mainly, under Persephone's instructions, as she still had to keep her retarded persona up most of the time. But when no one was looking, she would lend a hand in giving life. And the results didn't dissapoint at all.

On the sides of the area where there were the once dead trees and large pieces of marble, they had been removed and replaced mainly with rows of roses. Those were via delivery, bought. They had arrived rather weak and slightly already wilting, but thanks to the skeleton women and the nutritious soils, they took strength upon themselves.

And they quickly blossomed beautifully. There were from all natural colors roses have, except yellow, as Hades had specified. Artemis however had taken a step ahead and had experiemented succesfully with the white rose variety, making dark blue, black and purple colored roses.

She explained that she had simply colored the water she was giving the white roses for them to bloom with different colors. Of course with non-harmful substances added to the water. Didn't change anything to the fragrance, it was still gorgeous. The few trees that had been planted were all yews, which fitted perfectly in the garden.

A special variety of ivies were wrapped around their trunks, hugging and decorating them. And close to their roots were purple night flowers sharing space with dahlias. The fountain in the beginning area of the garden had been fixed and repaired on the biggest part by Ludifimo and his pals.

Aphrodite however had done her own thing too with her sculpting abilities to transform it. On top of it, she had made a big statue which looked like it represented a skeleton dressed in cloak sitting and looking down in a seemingly thoughtful and lost expression, a book resting on his lap.

On the statue's neck and on the fountain's base there was the coat of arms of the Renrinks. The calligraphic R wrapped in lilies and roses and circling it the quote El linaje de la muerte. Artemis had interfered and had managed to insert soil in the little holes of the statue, where purple roses had managed to root and grow up.

That way the statue of the skeleton had little purple roses hugging it. It would need trimming every now and then, but if taken care of the icon would be wonderful. Now what had Athena done to put her own detail in the area? She had insisted on putting big flat rock platforms mainly in the middle of the area and to the sides.

Just to make paths if anyone wanted to get a closer look at the roses and yews. Aphrodite had taken it upon herself to color the rocks so they didn't stay in their plain colors. Just 4 days before the guests would arrive, as the sun was about to set, Persephone was staring at the beginning area of the garden and couldn't stop smiling.

It was beautiful. Just beautiful. And clean. There were only a few details left attend to, but it had taken a shape and form which was catching the interest and awe of the observer. Especially the fountain which was working again and the soft sound of the water running was bringing an aura of serenity and calm.

Persephone sensed the presence of her daughters about to exit the house and enter the beginning area of the garden. And amongst them, his presence. She felt a clench in her soul. Anxious? Perhaps because the triplets were bringing him to be the judge of their hard work's result.

"Come on Sir Hades!" Aphrodite was seen first running ahead, almost skipping and jumping, while also turning around to see if the Renrink was following. At last, he entered the beginning area, to his left and right Artemis and Athena. Perspehone saw how his eyesockets momentarily had perked up giving the first look around.

But it was very quick. For the most part he stayed with his cold and unreadable expression. Even when he saw the colored roses, for which Artemis explained to him how had she done it to give them the blue, purple and black colors. Even when he saw the statue on top of the fountain.

He had listened to Aphrodite's cheerful yapping about how she had actually attempted to represent Hades himself in the traditional clothing the priests of Death wear in the temples as she had researched and learned. Through the whole inspection he had only spoken once.

It was to ask a question about the big flat rock tiles. He listened that Athena had added them. She mainly wanted them so the Renrink could step anywhere but to the soil, keep a safe distance from the plants and avoid potentially transporting infections upon them.

Even with just his aura. Despite from a first perspective it had seemed that the flat tiles weren't giving anything lively to the garden, it was the most considerate thing in this area, as Hades could walk around almost freely without killing anything.

But he had done the question and listened to the answer in such indifferent tone it seemed as if he didn't care at all to learn and listen. In the end, when the 5 skeletons gathered, Hades facing the 4 females, he stayed silent for many long agonising seconds, before finally giving his judgement.

"Good enough." He had just said indifferently.

But it was all the monster women needed to hear for their souls to go back to their ribcages from relief. In the remaining days before the deadline they had perfected the area. It had been prepared efficiently so the guests could admire its beauty if they layed eyes upon it.

But the one who wouldn't be ready at all for what was to come was Persephone, as only the day the guests would arrive the realisation of who's comfort they had prepared and worked for would punch her in the ribcage.

*breaks the 4th wall*

now because i'm taking so damn long, i'll start yapping less so i can reach faster the juicy parts and actions.

The house was clean and spotless. The beginning area of the garden, the only one in which the guests would have access to was prepared. The triplets were ready too, not just in appearance.

Also on how to behave and what mannerisms to show. Yes, all those years they had been trained to act like rich and powerful ladies from a big house too. Everything seemed like it would go perfectly fine, for everyone, for the whole week.

Until Persephone saw the turbans.

Those colorful turbans wrapped around the well-dressed humans' heads. In that instant she wanted to earth to open a hole to Tartarus, jump in and never come out.

"Are you KIDDING ME?!"

They were here. In Valencia. In the house of the Renrink. The Ottomans. Oh STARS no!

They were the guests?! They were the ones which Hades had informed they would be invited?! Them?

THEM?!

"Mother, what's wrong?!" Her girls saw her agitation, how her eyesockets had stayed empty and wide open, shaking as she stared at the men greeting Master Hades via an interpreter translating from Spanish to Turkish.

She didn't reply, she just turned around with direction to the garden. She had abruptly opened the door to exit the house and walk towards the heart of the garden, with the triplets chasing after her, still asking what was wrong.

She was stuttering so hard she couldn't command the ivies to retreat and open the gate. Finally her daughters caught up to her and stopped her, demanding an explanation. Persephone struggled, her tongue twisted and tied to find words and speak, before finally raise head and... smile.

"You should go back to Master Hades, he needs you by his side. Don't worry about me my loves, mommy just feels sick."

Actual truth, if she had a physical stomach she would have vomitted what she had eaten this morning from how abruptly she had felt horribly wrong.

"Are you sure we can leave you alone mother?" Aphrodite had asked concerned. Still struggling to keep her smile, Persephone hugged her daughters one by one.

"Go, my little sprouts. Go and make yourselves proud. I'm not going anywhere, I'll just stay here for a little while." She said. Eventually the triplets were convinced, even though still worried from how abruptly had their mother changed in mood and behavior.

They left and Persephone entered the heart of the garden. She didn't even have the courage to walk in the house, just kind of stood motionless in the middle. She tried to organise her thoughts and emotions. How could she deal with the fact the Ottomans were in the same place as her? Once again!

She doubted that there was anyone from the guests that was old enough to remember her, but still, their presence had raised from the grave of her subconscious the trauma, 10 times bigger and wilder. How was she just going to tolerate breathing the same air so close with the ones responsible for the murders of her family!

For a whole week! It had been so long from the last time Persephone had cried, but here she was now, sobbing and gripping her ribcage from being proved unable to move on from her trauma. No, she just couldn't do it, she couldn't just tolerate this...

But she had to, for her daughters.

Or else they would be closer to understand and learn just what other horrific things Persephone had fallen into because of the Ottomans. And her violation from which they had come to exist. She hadn't told them the details, she just couldn't tell them and just how deep in shame she had been immersed for the past 20 years.

In the speed she had entered the heart of the garden, in the same one she exited and walked back to the mansion with quick steps. She had to be close to her daughters. She needed to make sure they would be safe, even if the Ottomans were the guests.

She needed to be close to them, so in a moment's notice she could be able to interfere if any of her girls was bothered. She might had no strength and courage for herself, but the thought of her daughters was fueling her with these. She would tolerate, whether they were staying for a week, whether for a year, didn't matter.

She wouldn't let any of the things that had happen to her once to possibly happen to her girls too.

~

The first 2 days had gone... smoothly.

Matter of fact, the triplets were enjoying themselves. They were completely at ease with the Ottomans and talking comfidently, especially Artemis who had perfected her Turkish and casually exchanging words with the humans, being the interpretor for her sisters and Master Hades. The men had admired from the first day the garden and had asked Hades who had done such splendid job.

"The garden is the work of art from the 3 ladies before you, putting their souls and good will to make a masterpiece out of it."

Him and the triplets had given secret looks at Persephone, as if silently giving her credits which they couldn't say out loud because, well, 'retarded'. Of course the skeleton woman could understand and kept quiet as she was constantly doing.

The only times she would approach close to the dining area was to serve food before going back to hide in a corner and watch her daughters from the distance as they talked and exchanged conversation with the guests. Thankfully the Ottomans were paying zero attention to her.

Or any maid for that matter and their focus stayed on the Renrink and the triplets. That situation in those 2 days eventually made Persephone calm down. Nothing had happen, nothing was going wrong. At least they hadn't bring with them monster Janissaries or anything. Everything would go well...

But of course life would tell her sike on the 3rd day.

From the morning Persephone had started feeling unwell again and she didn't know why. She had a very bad premonition, something was coming, would come, to turn things upside down. The whole day had gone well and she still couldn't calm down. The evening arrived with another diner in the mansion.

The guests were talking with the hosts, the maids were serving, what was wrong already?! Persephone walked abruptly away. She found herself wandering in the corridors of the mansion, taking sharp and quick inhales of air that were painfully coursing through her bones.

She folded her arms above her ribcage and kept walking. She was so agitated she was barely paying attention to her directions and surroundings.

So much, too late she felt the threatening presence grabbing her from behind.

The scream Persephone wanted to exhale out was muffled by a hand shutting her up while an arm was wrapping around her. She started struggling, trying to jump and free herself from whoever was holding her, but the relentless arms were physically much stronger than she could ever be.

Upon her desperation she remembered the seeds she had in her pockets and tried to concentrate to make them sprout. It worked and the very next moment the poppy seeds blossomed, punched the intruder in the face, who relaxed the grip and Persephone broke free. She started running while screaming in terror and fear.

She looked once behind her and the other simply teleported in front of her. The skeleton woman bumped onto him, who held her tightly once again. Persephone had no other seeds to help her, the other had stepped on them. And then, under the little light she saw the face of the one who had attacked her first.

She recognised it rather.

"... S-Sen (You)?!"

What was that? Why him, why of all places, of all times, why was he in front of her?! Why did he have to be back?! Why?! Persephone almost felt loosing consciousness from fear and terror, as all memories came flooding back from 20 years ago. She started crying, way too panicked and terrified to fight back.

The other turned her around and shut her mouth with his hand. As she could remember him, he wasn't talking. Just forcefully holding her. Was he back for more? Did he want to break her again? What was he even doing here and how had he sneaked in the mansion?! Persephone wanted to scream.

Yell, ask him what did she ever do to him personally and he was just... just...

Standing while simply holding her?

Sure, he had shut her mouth and holding her from fighting back, but nothing else. As just a small fragment of panic had broke away from Persephone, she realised just that. What was he waiting for? Now why was he doing nothing? They literally stayed as they were for 2 minutes straight.

"Μητέρα;"

The magic in her body stopped flowing and her eyesockets went empty. She started struggling again and his arms kept her motionless even more forcefully. Athena was seen walking around the corner and she stopped abruptly seeing the unfamiliar skeleton holding her mother. Who... took his hand off the skeleton woman's mouth.

"Athena run! Go back to Master Hades!" Persephone said in terror. The male pushed her aside abruptly and started walking towards Athena. Persephone tried to stand up, only to soon fall down again as the stinging pain on her leg ran through the whole limb.

Had she twisted it from him pushing her? Damnit. She watched desperately as he walked closer and closer to Athena, who was simply standing and watching him coming at her! The skeleton woman reached out her hand to Athena's direction, expecting to see the worst possible scenario being displayed.

The male suddenly braked and stood just a step away from Athena. He looked down at her, silent and motionless like a statue. Athena stared at him too in the eyesockets, her expression slowly being filled more and more with surprise. Her green pupils lit up a little more than usual.

"... You feel familiar..." Uh oh. "... Do I know you?" She asked slowly. The other stood there for some more silent. And then, much to Persephone's shock, for the first time ever, she heard him talking.

"Sen..." He started and seemed to struggle find his words. "... Sen bensin?" He asked.

Athena looked at him confused and walked around him as if wanting to check him from all perspectives. He turned around and Persephone saw his expression. It betrayed a faint idea of surprise. It showed interest, confusion.

And his eyesockets weren't empty anymore.

2 dark green ones were in them now as he stared at the young woman before him. Athena turned to look at Persephone.

"Mother, who's that? Why does he feel so... familiar? Why..." She stopped, as in Persephone's eyesockets she found the answer. She stepped back with wide open eyesockets, then turned to face the male. "Father?!"

Oh no, she had figured out!

"Athena, don't approach..." The skeleton woman tried to say. But instead, Athena suddenly threw herself at him and hugged him tightly.

"Father! You're finally here!" She said ecstatic. "Mother never said what happened to you!"

He didn't respond to her words, he didn't return the hug, just kept looking over Athena's shoulder with that confused and faintly surprised expression.

"Mother!" Artemis and Aphrodite's voices were heard saying in sync as they ran towards Persephone and kneeled near her. They looked then at Athena and the male skeleton.

"Girls, come close! It's Father! He's finally here!" Athena interrupted excited, ignoring the heaviness of the situation. The other 2 girls looked at the male intensively, then at Athena.

"Athena really does look like him!" Aphrodite commented.

"Athena... Get away from him." Persephone tried to speak up, still terrified. But now, suddenly Athena had become stubborn and she hugged the male skeleton again, who didn't try to push her off, but kept looking at her surprised.

"No! We just now saw him, I finally meet the one responsible alongside you for our existence and you tell me to get away from him?!"

"Girls, go back to Master Hades and tell him what's going on." The skeleton woman tried again. Aphrodite stood up first ready to do as she said.

"No Aphrodite! Seriously?! Aren't you happy?! Don't you get it, father is here!"

"Mother is afraid of him and hurt. We should-."

"Why would she be afraid?! Mother!" Athena snapped her head to Persephone's direction. "Didn't you say years ago that we were brought to this world through your connection and union with him?!"

"... You did." Persephone said slowly and with tears ready to form, deep inside knowing that this would be the day her girls were going to hear the whole truth and not avoid it anymore, no matter what she did or said to get her daughters away from him, Athena mainly.

"Why didn't you say anything about him all those years?! Why hide him from us?! I had think for so long that he was dead!" Athena's voice had started cracking as she slowly let go of the male. "Why?! Just why?! I've wondered and thought for so many years, trying to understand what you were thinking or feeling looking at me! Because I reminded you of him, you seemed to be a lot more sad around me! Didn't you say that through the love between 2 monsters children are born?! Didn't you 2 unite through love?!" About that... "WHY WOULD YOU BE AFRAID OF SOMEONE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO LOVE MOTHER?! WHY DO YOU TELL ME TO GET AWAY FROM HIM WHEN HE'S HERE NOW TO FILL THE GAP IN MY SOUL I'VE BEEN MISSING- WE! ME AND ARTEMIS AND APHRODITE, WE'VE BEEN MISSING FOR YEARS! YOU JUST DON'T WANT US TO REALLY FEEL HAPPY?! ME, FEEL HAPPY, HAVING BEEN BOTHERED SO MUCH MORE BY THIS! JUST SAY IT!"

"Because 20 years ago all inoccence and purity I had in me was robbed and killed when against my will he layed hands on me."

Dead silence filled the corridor as the triplets stared at Persephone in terror and shock. The skeleton woman was crying quietly, as from the moment she had started talking she knew she couldn't stop.

"Mother..." Aphrodite whispered, shaking harder than her sisters.

"What are you saying?" Artemis was heard then.

And Persephone told them. From the day the temple of Life was discovered, to when she realised she was expecting the triplets. The cold and bitter truth of when she left Athens and what had happen during the trip.

"I don't even know his name, I'm not sure which family mourned his kidnapping when a baby. But since you so badly wanted to meet your other parent, that's all I have to tell you from the complete truth, which is more than enough to understand just how much I mean it when I tell you Athena, get. Away. From him." Persephone said the last words dead serious, but still crying.

Her daughters stayed for some more speechless, while the male skeleton hadn't move an inch and was just listening to the sad revealations. His expression however showed that he didn't seem to understand what was said. Perhaps he knew only Turkish.

After all he was raised by the Ottomans, while Persephone was talking in Greek while making the revealation. Aphrodite had kneeled near her mother while hugging her. Then, like her sisters she turned to look at him in terror. Even Athena took a step away from him, her bottom jaw shaking hard. The male saw her moving and tried to walk towards her.

"Beklemek-"

"Seni! PİÇ!" Artemis was heard suddenly yelling and threw a fireball at him, which threw him a few feet back smoking. The girl was fuming as she walked up to him with more flames in her hands and kept talking in Turkish, but i'm not even gonna bother making them turkish because i'd have to translate them later, just have the english already. "SO THAT'S WHY THE HUMAN MAIDS AROUND HERE HAVE BEEN CALLING US BASTARDS OUT LOUD! YOU! YOOOU JUST HAD TO MAKE MOTHER SUFFER! YOU HAD TO PUT HER THROUGH THIS AND RAISE US, NOT WITH YOUR HELP CERTAINLY! DID YOU FIND IT FUNNY WHEN FORCING HER TO DO SUCH THINGS?! DID YOU?! WITH HOW MANY OTHERS HAVE YOU'VE DONE SUCH?!" She kept trying to set the skeleton on fire, who however dodged almost all of her attacks after the first hit him. His eyesockets had gone empty again. And then he pulled out his yatagan, cutting a fire ball in half.

"Seni. Kaltak." He said in his dead cold tone and ran up to Artemis. He was stopped by vines wrapped around him, commanded by Aphrodite.

It didn't take long for a battle to occur. Aphrodite and Artemis, against the monster corsaire. The girls were mainly using magic to try and hit their opponent. But him? It was shown just how tough and how succesfully he was trained, perhaps from the moment he had started walking.

Despite a cold and ruthless warrior, the male skeleton was moving and dodging in what could be called sharp grace, blocking attacks with extreme accuracy and striking back in an almost deadly manner. He was barely using magic, but when he would do so, it would result to small injuries upon the girls.

"GIRLS! STOP FIGHTING AND GO FIND MASTER HADES! JUST PLEASE!" Persephone screamed, but both sides were way too focused on fighting. No use.

The girls might were good at magic, but the male had far more combat experience than they could ever have. And the only one who knew how to properly fight, Athena, was just standing motionless, like a statue.

Staring at the fight and her sisters little by little loosing strength and focus. She wasn't listening to Persephone telling her run back to the Renrink- where was he?! How come he hadn't sense the corsaire's presence and aura in the mansion?! What was he even doing?!

The male skeleton was heard saying in a frustrated tone something about being sick and tired of plants, send by Aphrodite, who had a whole stash of seeds hiding in special places upon her dress. He had kept slashing them with his yatagan.

He had barely been injured, with the first fireball being the worst one. Artemis had gotten a big cut on her right arm and another, luckily not so deep, running from her shoulder to her neck, her magic having stained her dress.

Aphrodite had a lot more cuts but smaller. They were both tired, barely keeping up. But then, he dropped his yatagan and streched his arms towards the 2 girls. The very next moment, Artemis and Aphrodite's limbs started going to extreme directions.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

If Hades hadn't realise by now that not only there was an unwelcomed guest in his house but also that the triplets were missing for way too long, he would have realised now by how loudly the girls screamed.

"NO!" Ignoring the pain on her leg, Persephone struggled, tried, dared to stand up and stumble towards the male, who saw her approaching and temporarily stopped controlling the girls.

He raised hand to slap the skeleton woman hard across her face. Persephone fell backwards, the sting on her cheek burning her. Finally, Athena broke off her confused and shocked daze. Seeing him hurting her mother became the real last straw for her, it moved her.

And as the male skeleton had focused his attention again at the other 2 girls to snap their limbs with his magic, she ran up to him and punched him. The other stumbled, momentarily he seemed ready to actually murder instantly. But seeing Athena, his murderous expression showed again confusion.

"I refused to believe to what mother had to say. About why she wouldn't talk about you, mention you, or as of now, that you would ever do such things to her. But you've clearly shown that you can do a lot worse. You are my mother's nightmare at nights and because of you I exist, to torture her consciousness with my appearance at day, every single day of my life, for the past 20 years! I would have nightmares too if I had to deal with such a monster like you. Get out of here, I don't desire to see you anymore, I don't want to look at my reflection from the past! Mother has enough with just me, don't you worsen it too." She spoke bitterly, crying quietly at the same time.

The other just stared at her silent, not showing that he was comprehending her words. The moment was interrupted by vines cracking the floor and wrapping around him. Aphrodite had found the strength to send at him vines.

But the male cut them down with his yatagan, in the process snappping his arm. But he didn't care about the pain, he didn't seem to feel that. When he got freed, he slammed Artemis to a wall with blue magic, hitting her head hard enough to fall uncoscious.

Aphrodite had tried run close to her, but after the male pushed Athena away again with blue magic abruptly, he dashed at her, grabbed her by the collar and pinned her on the wall. He proceeded to start choking her hard and Aphrodite had no strength to use magic and break free from the other's grip, in pain as she was.

Persephone looked at Athena who was laying prone on the floor and not moving. Artemis with the back of her head cracked. Aphrodite who's light in her pupils was slowly ceasing. In that moment her mind left her skull. She felt hollow and empty from thoughts. Everything had almost become a blur for her.

But she could see the 4 souls before her.

She could sense the life there was left in the plants and vines Aphrodite had used.

There was only one thought in mind. One which she screamed out loud after standing up, streching her arm towards the soul of the male skeleton and as the floor started shaking and cracking, where more vines were popping out and forming to make a bigger body of plants.

"You may have touched me in the past, but DON'T! TOUCH! MY DAUGHTEEERS!"

What have you done...

When does a ripple become a tidal wave...

"MOTHER!"

"TALK TO US!"

"OH STARS!"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

What have you done?

...

Persephone's vision cleared. She looked ahead. She looked at the amalgamation of half-wilted plants, twisted and forming a huge spike. She saw the white dust mainly on the tip of it. She saw the ripped clothes hanging from there.

She didn't see the monster corsaire.

She couldn't feel his presence anywhere near. She looked again at the monster dust, as the horrible realisation creeped in her thoughts. Did she... No, that couldn't have been her.

It wasn't her.

She didn't proceed to...

She didn't...

...

Persephone let out a loud horrified scream, her hands in front of her mouth almost not muffling it at all as she cried and tears were fastly running from her eyesockets. Soon after, aggressive sobs and hiccups were added to her screaming as she stared at the result of what she had done.

She felt horrible.

She felt sick.

She felt loosing connection with the reality from the strong shock, everything started spinning in front of her, every voice around her felt very distant all of a sudden. And it was then when she clearly heard and felt her soul cracking in her ribcage.

One subtle, little crack that shook her whole body and covered her vision in almost complete darkness. It wasn't just a rule from her old priestess days to not take someone's life away. Due to her nature, as a literal being of Life, doing so was having consequences for the host's health.

As of now. She hadn't just broken one more rule from the cult of Life, she had done the very thing that could potentially kill her, at best take years from her life away. The shock from the pain kept Persephone motionless for just a few seconds before going from sitting on the floor, to fall back, ready to hit the back of her skull on the floor.

"MOTHER WAKE UP!"

She didn't exactly hit the floor, as a pair of arms had prevented to hold her. She couldn't recognise who, she could just listen and barely recognise Aphrodite's voice as she was calling her frantically.

"Don't fall into the darkness mother, don't!"

That was Artemis.

"Her magic and aura become weaker! Don't go away mother..."

She could hear Athena calling her while quietly sobbing.

"Girls..." She didn't know if she actually said that out loud or just thought it. Whatever from the 2 she had done, she felt drowning even faster in the darkness of uncosciousness, unable to hold her head up anymore.

"Persephone..."

Was she already hallucinating or she heard the Renrink's voice calling her by name in a whispery anxious tone, so very close to her?

She had not a single spec of time to think about it. All of her senses shut down completely.

6690 words. MWA HA HA HA HA HAAA

*offers little towels for the readers to wipe their mouths after eating this HUGE chapter*

see you next time bambini =)