Hades climbed in after her and grabbed her by her braid. She positioned Persephone over her knee and pulled Persephone’s chiton up to her waist, exposing her legs.

“Let go of me. You’re hurting!” Persephone said, reaching behind herself to swat at Hades’ hands.

Hades tightened her grip on the braid and used her other hand to pull down Persephone’s perizoma, down and off over her legs. She ran her hand over Persephone’s bare bottom and caressed her thighs.

“Don’t touch me,” Persephone said.

Hades adjusted her grip on Persephone’s hair, rolling her over for a moment so that she could look at her face. “You should know that I am not angry with you. And while I am disappointed in your choice of actions, this is not a punishment. I am only doing this because you need it.”

Persephone’s eyes burned with tears. “What do I—”

Hades rolled her over again so that she was lying face down over her lap. Hades released her braid and adjusted her chiton once more. The air was cold on Persephone’s bare skin, and she shivered.

She wasn’t prepared for the first slap, and so she yelped, arching her back. “How dare you!”

“This is for your own good.” Hades’ hand descended again onto her bare ass, harder this time. Persephone screamed, choking on her tears.

“Let me go!”

Hades continued to smack her as she talked, settling into a steady rhythm. “You should realize by now that I have no intention of doing any such thing. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can begin to enjoy your new life.”

Persephone couldn’t remember the last time she’d been beaten. When she’d been a young child, perhaps, centuries ago.

“Stop, please. You’re hurting me.”

At first, each slap left an initial sting which soon faded away. But over time, as Hades continued to hit the same areas, Persephone’s flesh grew warm, and it felt like each strike was igniting a fire under her skin.

“There are many beautiful, wondrous things you have yet to discover here. I would not have condemned you to such a life if I had thought it would make you miserable forever. But you will have to find meaning for yourself.”

Persephone gave up on pleading. She pressed a fist to her mouth, trying not to scream, her tears dampening the blankets below her head. At some point, Hades repositioned her so that she could start smacking Persephone with her other hand.

Persephone clung to the bed frame, but the olive wood it was made from had been sourced from the underworld and therefore was useless to her. She tried to concentrate on her breathing, but every time Hades created a new burst of pain, it broke her concentration.

“Stop,” Persephone said. “Stop. Stop. Stop.”

“What did Kronos want from you?” Hades asked. She gave Persephone another bone-jarring smack, then paused.