This is it — Voice Week is officially over! If you’ve not had a chance thus far, head over to the Voice Week Homepage, where all the other participating bloggers are wrapping things up.
Thank you to everyone who liked and/or commented on my series. Your kind words mean the world.
This voice, being the “grand finale”, got away from me a little. The word count is a wee bit bigger than it should be, but hopefully worth it!
If you’ve missed out on any part of the story, follow the links below to catch up. Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy the final voice.
Part One can be found here.
Part Two can be found here.
Part Three can be found here.
Part Four can be found here.
.. Hell Beneath Us ..
The light, mortal goodness of Earth fades as I am swept deeper and deeper into the darkness of the Underworld.
With a commanding shout, Hades draws his coal-black steeds to a stop, and dismounts. Through the haze of tears, I watch as he reaches up, takes hold of my waist and lifts me from the chariot with the tentativeness of someone holding a wounded dove. Within his grasp, I feel tiny, fragile … and bright. Against his shadows, my own purity seems to shine.
One year later, I rise from the shadowy dead into my mother’s embrace. I am different in her arms. She clings desperately, crushingly tight. Hades touch was always soft, shadowed and sinful.
Mother senses the Underworld’s chill that has penetrated my flesh, and immediately bestows her gifts into the earth to warm me; I can feel the withered soil beneath my feet writhe with life.
In the Hell beneath us, I know Hades is waiting. I taste the sharp tang of pomegranate on my lips and shiver with anticipation.
- Love The Bad Guy

Persephone herself. Great view of her voice. I think you handled this myth well. Who’s voice was the brother? Zeus?
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed my take on this classic myth.
And the brother (second voice, yes?) was indeed Zeus. I definitely put my own interpretation on that mischevious man-whore…
Awesome. That is all
That is all I need.
Thank you!
Pingback: “Hell Beneath Us: Part Five” « Love The Bad Guy « Voice Week HQ
Wow… Great work! I loved your series!
And you have an amazing writing style! Keep up the good work. I am going to subscribe to you!
I’m honoured that you’re planning to stick around, Parul! I hope my future works continue to please.
Great collection of stories here. I love how vividly you portray the characters – espeically Hades – with real balance and personality. Persephone doesn’t have an easy decision to make in the end there!
Thank you very much! I really enjoyed writing these stories (especially Hades), so I’m glad they were well-received.
Interesting that she finds Hades touch soft. I always thought she was taken against her will but you’ve switched it up.
Most definitely taken against her will… But a year with a sexy beast like Hades might change your feelings…
I had a lot of fun intepreting this myth in a slightly new way, so I’m glad you enoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to comment throughout the week!
This is…wow. Beautifully written and structured. The title makes sense now more than ever, and I love how you waited until the very end to blend it in.
And, seriously seriously seriously, I feel like I could read your writing for days.
DAYS.
=)
Thank you so much for the kind words.
I hope to see more of you around my blog!
I consumed all five in one sitting. The language is powerful and befitting of ancient myths. These are bad; bad-ass! A great series, thanks LTBG.
Thank you very much, KP! I’m glad you enjoyed them.
I have to admit, at the start of this chapter I was a tad “meh” after how much I loved the last chapter, but the tail end really worked and though I would have loved more of the others, this adds a much needed and well rounded feel to the whole thing and closing off with her p.o.v was a good choice.
Cheers and look forward to more now that I have more time to read all the blogs I’ve been missing!
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing all five voices, Spider. I admit, I was mighty tempted to end with Hades, but Persephone felt like the right choice. I can understand the “meh”, as I had to rewrite this voice more times than I can count to try and tie all the ends together, while simultaneously eliminating the dry, “here’s the conclusion” type feel to the story, which certainly does not have the same impact. But I’m happy to know she worked on several levels. (Even if darling Hades remains the fan-favourite…)
What can you say? Everyone loves a great bad guy!