She was breathtaking. Or, maybe Hades had just forgotten how to breath as she spun on the balls of her delicate feet and the blossoms leaped from the ground to meet her. He clutched at his heart, pounding mercilessly in his chest and swallowed past the lump that settled firmly in his throat. There was so much that he wanted to say, so many things that he wanted her to hear that he had pledged over and over again already to the open in air, in hopes that a god's praise might reach another.<br/><br/>But instead, his tongue felt frozen to the roof of his mouth. She was so vibrant and full of curiosity. He wasn't sure where to even begin with the questions she asked him, almost without pause. The grip on his chest tightened and, for the first time-- maybe ever, he felt his face get<i>hot</i>. His eyes darted from one end of the field to the other. This couldn't be happening, could it? What was the catch? What god sent her so close to him as a trap to draw him out? He set his jaw and looked down at his feet.<br/><br/>Snow and ice was spreading from under him, coating the grasses and reaching towards Persephone. Startled, he took a step back and did his best to garner some semblance of control. He had never experienced this before, never had to try and keep his influence from another so firmly. But she was pure-- she was untouched light and warmth that he could not bare to taint.<br/><br/>And yet, her hand was outstretched towards him, waiting for his own. The gesture was almost unfamiliar, and for a moment, Hades wasn't sure what she was doing. He panicked, looking around again, as if searching for an escape, before he forced himself to take another step back. This had been a mistake. He should have never approached her. She was far too much for him-- much more than he deserved.<br/><br/>"I'm... sorry..." he ground out. But his apology was strange, even to his own ear. What was he sorry for? The fact that she had been waiting for him, only to be met with disappointment? The fact that he couldn't find the will to speak in her glorious presence? Or perhaps it was just for his lack of manners. Hades looked as if he might bolt, but he felt the chill around his ankles that rooted him firmly to the soil below, if only for a moment.<br/><br/>He sighed, in favor of sucking in quick and sharp breaths. He rubbed his neck and finally met her eyes. "Zeus is my sibling, as is Poseidon. I am the eldest of Gaia's children-- Hades." Without twisting too much, he gestured behind him. "This is my domain, where the mortals rest and the immoral are punished." He hesitated, and his face warmed and colored-- a splash of color on an otherwise blank canvas. "Life does not flourish where I am. It is not the place for it. ...It is why I come here, to admire your flowers. Before you, I had not see one before."<br/><br/>"Persephone..." Her name was sweet on his lips and he shivered, just a little. "Why were you waiting here, if you were not frightened? ...Though that was not my intent, I am sure you have been told to stay far from this place."