Persefone stood outside the Subway restaurant, waiting for Aidoneus. She couldn't contain her excitement about the possibility of meeting two of her favorite actors. Her thoughts were interrupted when Aidoneus parked his car in front of her. She got inside and was driven off. "Hey, Aidoneus, how have you been?"

"I've been doing well. I've been doing my classes and helping my Pops with work. I couldn't wait for this day to come. Looks like you have been excited."

"Y-Yeah, I guess it was noticeable, huh? Well, it's not every day that one can meet some celebrities in one go. I was wondering if I could some autographs from them."

"You can, but it comes with a price. You don't have to worry about anything; I paid for you to get a picture and autographs from your favorite actors."

Persefone gasped; she couldn't believe Aidoneus would do such a thing for her. Not even Edgar did something so nice for her. There was a part of her that was cautious. She did some reading and watched videos of how men love bombing and do extremely nice acts to sometimes hide who they indeed are. Persefone feared that Aidoneus was one of those men. "Y-You didn't have to. I could have paid for them alone; we don't know each other entirely."

"I know, but I was raised to believe that a man needs to step up his game. Besides, I invited you; therefore, it's my responsibility." Aidoneus noticed how cautious Persefone became. "Hmm...maybe I'm doing too much," he thought. "I mean, if you asked me out, wouldn't it be fair that you pay for me?" A part of him wanted to punch himself in the face. Aidoneus didn't like the idea of Persefone paying for him; it made him feel irresponsible.

"Yeah, I would. It would only be fair. Since you paid for the tickets and for getting pictures and autographs, it would only be fair that I pay for food and dessert; I will not take no for an answer."

A wolfish groan wanted to escape, but Aidoneus held himself. "Okay, I guess it sounds fair. Anyway, how is working coming along?"

Aidoneus listened intently to Persefone's week of work, among other things. He could tell that she was passionate about her job. Persefone asked him more questions about his goals and field of study, and Aidoneus told her that his father wanted to pass down the business to him if he wanted it. He wanted to make the company bigger to help low-income communities access healthier medicine.

They eventually arrived at the event, and it took ten minutes to find parking. Once out of the vehicle, they went to the event, where there was a line to get in. "Wow, I've never been to this place before." Persefone looked at the Victorian-style house beautifully decorated with Christmas lights and ornaments. Many stalls surrounded many parts of the compound; scents of food hit her nose.

The gates to the event were opened, and music was played. People went inside as they showed their tickets, as did the duo. 

https://youtu.be/x9lWNBDzH1Y

Once inside, the event organizers appeared as killer clowns wearing Santa Claus hats and clothes. "Hello, everyone! Welcome to the Creeping Christmas event, where you can celebrate a frighteningly beautiful holiday!" everyone, including Persefone, cheered. As you all know, we have two excellent voice actors, Chris Sarandon and Ken Kage, and they are ready to meet many of you! Now, let the event begin!"

Aidoneus immediately led Persefone to the line, leading to the voice actors' meeting. Luckily, they were fourth in line and saw Chris and Ken.

"Th-There they are! Oh my god! I'm a nervous wreck!" Persefone whispered.

"You'll be okay. Just act normal."

The line moved until it was the duo's turn, and they were before two legendary voice actors. "Well, hello, you two. We are happy that you both could make it to the event," said Ken in his deep voice.

Persefone struggled with what to say; her lips trembled. Aidoneus noticed and said, "We are happy to be here, Mr. Page. My friend here is a fan; she is excitedly petrified. Her name is Persefone."

The men noticed Persefone, and they chuckled. "Persefone, eh? You have such a unique name; you were named after the Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld, right?" asked Chris.

The young woman flinched and felt her body quiver in anxiety, but Aideoneus put an arm around her as if telling her that it was okay. Persefone took a deep breath and realized that the actors looked with understanding. "Y-Yes, s-sir! I-I'm a huge fan of yours and you both m-made my childhood g-great!"

Chris and Ken smiled. "We're glad you enjoy our work and appreciate your support. I hope you will join us for our Q&A, where we will explain what happened behind the scenes in Nightmare Before Christmas and answer fans' questions," Chris said.

"Oh, of course we will! Thank you!"

Then, the photographer came by with a camera. "Alright, from what I see on your ticket, you paid for a picture with both actors and an autograph. Can you all get in position, please?"

Aidoneus stood next to Chris, while Persefone stood between Chris and Ken. The picture was taken. It was then printed and given to both actors, who signed it and gave it to Persefone. The duo walked off the building while Persefone looked at the picture and autograph. "Ooohh, I can't believe we've met Chris Sarandon and Ken Page! I feel that I'm dreaming." Aidoneus gently pinched her cheek, making her squeal. Hey, what was that for!?"

"I just wanted to confirm that you weren't dreaming. You were very starstruck."

"You can't blame me, Dio! They played characters that helped me get through my childhood!"

Aidoneus raised an eyebrow. "You called me 'Dio'?"

Persefone nodded and giggled. "Yeah, that's my nickname to you! Do you like it?" she asked while holding his left arm. Aidonues blushed and felt his heart stop beating momentarily but nodded.

They decided to tour Hiram Clay Kellogg's Victorian home, decorated with Halloween and Christmas decorations. Afterward, Aidoneus led Persefone deeper into the festival, where many vendors sold handmade Christmas and Halloween objects. Many people were also dressed in Halloween and Christmas costumes.

Then, it was time to eat, so they went to a Mexican food truck. They ordered tacos with different drinks and waited ten minutes until their food was ready. Aidoneus was about to pay but was reminded by Persefone that she would pay. He groaned and let her do what she wanted.

Once they had their food, they ate at an empty table. Aidoneus ate his food slowly as he slowly became nervous. He was about to ask the serious question: Who texted her? "Persefone, I need to tell you something."

Persefone took a sip of her Horchata drink and gave him her attention. "Yeah?"

"Remember when we went to the coffee shop, and you went to the restroom? You left your phone behind, and I...couldn't help but see a text." Persefone stiffened but continued, "Parts of the text said something about missing you. I-I wanted to know if there was something you wanted to tell me." Aidoneus couldn't believe he was demanding answers, but not knowing who sent the text was killing him. He didn't want to be with someone who would betray his trust.

"Y-You looked through my phone!?"

"Not entirely, I just saw the screen pop up and saw parts of it. I would never try to hack into your phone. Persefone, I'm asking you this because I want to know if there is someone else in your life?"

Persefone looked down on her food and looked like she was about to cry. "Th-That message you saw was from...my ex."

Relief set in; it was just an ex."I see, and if I had to guess, he wants you back."

The young woman nodded. "Yeah, but I refused to return him since I saw him with another woman. I blocked him but it looked like he is trying to use different numbers and accounts to get to me. He even came by my house to explain himself but..." Persefone realized that she was telling Aidoneus too much. "Nevermind. Please believe me that I have no intention of taking him back. He is nothing to me."

"Persefone, are you being...stalked?"

"N-No! I don't think so. Anyway, I don't want to talk about this anymore. I appreciate that you were honest with me and I'm sorry that I kept this from you, but I want us to enjoy ourselves." Persefone gently held onto his right hand. "Please believe me that you are the only guy I am seeing and am only interested in seeing."

"I believe you, Sef."

Persefone raised an eyebrow. "Sef?"

Aideonus chuckled. "Yup, that's my nickname for you." The duo laughed and continued to eat their lunch, but Aidoneus couldn't help but feel that something was going to happen, and it was going to happen sooner than he had hoped.

❄

After eating their lunch, Aidoneus suggested they look at the vendors again since they had a clearer view of what was being sold.

Persefone bought handmade blankets for herself and her mother and work boots for her father. "Hey, Dio, are you going to get anything?"

"Well, I was thinking of getting my mom a baking set since she loves to bake, but they don't have that here, so I'll order it online. My Pops is tricky since he has everything."

"I get it." Persefone noticed pens with different designs as she looked at the current stall. Excuse me, sir. Are these handcrafted?"

The vendor was an older man who looked to be in his early to mid-sixties. He looked up from cutting a small piece of wood, smiled, and stood up. "Why yes, they are, young lady! I buy the pens from the 98-cent store and put wood over them while designing them! Crafting has been my hobby since I was twelve years old."

Persefone smiled and pointed at the pens. "You should get your dad a pen! These are so beautiful to pass up!"

Aidoneus looked down at the handcrafted wooden pens and couldn't deny their beauty. "Pops always uses pens. Maybe I should change it up a notch." He looked at all the pens until he reached the upper last row, where he saw boxes containing three beautifully carved bronze, gold, and silver pens. "Did you also craft these?" he asked, pointing at the boxes.

The older man's smile widened with pride. "Sure did, but carving into such metals can take two to three hours. These are a bit more expensive, but the wooden ones are cheaper if you'd like."

Aidoneus noticed that the carved wooden pens were ten dollars while the boxes with the carved metal pens were fifty; he couldn't blame the older gentleman for asking much. "I will take one box of the three pens and one wooden pen."

"A-Are you sure? It is a bit much and-!"

"I'm sure, sir. Your craft was beautifully done, and I can't help but admire your hard work and passion. Eitherway, my Pops would love them, and I want one for myself." Aidoneus took out a hundred-dollar bill and gave it to the older man. "Keep the change. Call it an early Christmas gift from a stranger."

"Y-Young man, I can't except it! I need to give you change back! I-!"

Aidoneus motioned out his hand. "You can try, but I will not take it back. You can buy yourself lunch or donate it to someone who needs it. The holidays are coming, so please take it. I will not take it back no matter what you do or say."

Persefone's eyes widened; her heart skipped a beat, and her body felt warm. The older man felt his eyes water but refrained them from falling. "You are very kind, young man. You make the holiday spirit very special. At least let me wrap the box for you as thanks."

Aidoneus agreed and watched as his father's gift was wrapped. Once finished and given, the duo said farewell to the vendor, who waved back at them. "That was very nice of you. Not many people would do what you did," said Persefone.

"Well, he worked hard in his craft and he deserves some appreciation. Anyway want to go to the Q&A with Chris and Ken?"

Before Persefone could answer, she noticed someone at the corner of her eye. "E-Edgar!?" Edgar stood close to the couple, looking expressionless. His skin was dark olive, with moderate acne on his face and neck. His black hair was shaved on the sides of his head while the top was curled. His thin black mustache made him childlike since his face was slightly chubby.

"Hey, Perse. It's nice seeing you here." Edgar then glanced at Aidoneus. "I thought I told you that we weren't over."

Aidoneus felt Persefone walk behind him and gently held onto his arm; her hand quivered. "So you must be the ex-boyfriend. Sorry that you're not man enough to accept that Persefone broke up with you. You make her uncomfortable, so it would be best you leave."

Edgar glared at Aidoneus, but Aidoneus wasn't intimidated. "You think you can have my woman, dog? I told her it's over when I say it is. She-"

"She is with me, you mushroom-top headed imbecile. You ruined your chance when you decided to sniff elsewhere."

"H-How did you even know I was here?" asked Persefone. When Edgar didn't answer, her eyes widened. "D-Don't tell me you put something in my phone!"

Aidoneus slowly got angry and tried hard not to attack Edgar. He slowly walked toward his rival until they were a few inches before him. "If you want, I can show you how dangerous I can be." The werewolf was taller than Edgar but refused to underestimate him; his father always taught him that.

Edgar slowly backed away as he gave out a cocky look. "Nah man. You ain't worth it." He then glared at Persefone, "This ain't over." He walked away from the festivities, leaving the duo alone.

Aidoneus then looked at Persefone, who was trembling. He turned and slowly hugged her. She did the same; Persefone was frightened, which angered the werewolf. No one, not even Edgar, had the right to threaten his mate, and he knew that something had to be done. Aidoneus decided to tell Persefone his true identity and complete his next course of action.