Episode 37: A Prince in Dark Velvet

Season 1

Apr 24

Editors: Bekah Caden and Annie LaHue

Released: 11 November 2018

Content warning: stalking, sexual assault, implied trauma

Persephone and Apollo are in Apollo’s car. Apollo tells Persephone that Artemis had mentioned she would be done by now and that she wasn’t answering his texts. Persephone tells Apollo that what happened the previous night can’t happen again. When he asks what she means, she says she didn’t enjoy it. Apollo is surprised by this, and denies her statement by saying of course she did.

His response was that she should have thought of that before they had sex, so why stop now. This makes Persephone’s eyes go red, and she breaks down that he stalked her and showed up uninvited when her roommate, his sister, wouldn’t be home so that they could fool around. He is taken aback by her summary, and calls her “Persie” as he admits that it sounds bad when she puts it like that. Persephone has had enough. She tells him to stop calling her “Persie” and to pull over so that she can get out of the car. Apollo gets defensive and tells her to call down, but Persephone insists he pull over. He insists they talk about it, but she demands he stop the car. While they are fighting, the view from Persephone’s window has shifted from trees to a giant eye on a black background. The car then suddenly stops. Apollo and Persephone turn around to see a pair of giant eyes growling at them from the rearview window.

Persephone tries to tell him that she was not in the right frame of mind, but Apollo dismisses her and says that they just need to practice some more. Persephone questions what he means by “practice.” Apollo continues that Artemis won’t be home for a while, and begins to explain what he was thinking of doing, but Persephone cuts him off by reminding him that she is supposed to be a sacred virgin.

“Stop this car!”
Persephone

“Remember, you’re not just a good boy. You’re my good boy.”
Persephone

Apollo insists that she stay in the car while he handles this, as it must be terrifying for Persephone. Persephone, meanwhile, climbs out onto the roof of the car through the sunroof. Once Cerberus sees Persephone on the sunroof, he begins to calm down. Apollo asks what she thinks she is doing, but Persephone only has eyes for Cerberus, tears in her eyes.

Persephone calls Cerberus to her, and nuzzles one of his heads as she tries to get him to calm down. With some encouragement, Cerberus shrinks down to his less-giant, one-headed form. Apollo gets out of the car and tells Persephone she should get back in, setting off Cerberus’ alarm mode.

He barks at Apollo, but Persephone grabs on to the big dog’s neck to hold him back. She comments that Cerberus seems to really hate Apollo.

A dejected Apollo asks Persephone what to do, and she tells him to give her back her backpack. Cerberus is not happy about it, but Persephone tells him that she needs her homework. Cerberus starts to go off as Apollo hands her back her backpack, so Persephone tells Apollo to get back in the car, since she needs to get Cerberus home. Apollo says he’ll see her around, which Persephone answers with a simple, “I guess.”

With Apollo gone, Persephone and Cerberus take a seat in a grassy area under a tree. Persephone gives Cerberus her lunch since she’s no longer hungry, and tells him that he can hang out with her the next time Hades grounds him. In the meantime, he is welcome to stay with her as she sits and reviews her notes.

As time passes, the two of them relax under the tree, and Persephone explains to Cerberus that she wants a new laptop and goes through the models she is looking at. As it begins to get darker, Persephone adorns Cerberus with a flower crown, and tells him to remember that he is her good boy.

Cerberus soon returns to the Underworld, and Hades asks where he has been. He happily trots over to Hades, who notices the flower crown Cerberus’ head.

Read Episode 37