Deborah always knew. Let's establish that now. What was to happen to her daughter was part of a prophecy as old as the Earth itself. She dreaded the thought of it, but there was nothing she could do. She raised her daughter, Stephanie alone, without the help of the father. Deborah loved watching Stephanie run through the meadows as a toddler, bringing back a messy bouquet of wildflowers. It brought her heart both happiness and sorrow to see her daughter grow from a curious toddler to a stunning young woman. Stephanie knew nothing of the prophecy that involved her, Deborah made sure of that.
Today Stephanie arrived home from school. Her long brown hair braided down her back, and ending at her waist. She plopped her backpack on the table, not bothering to take out the homework, and walked right back into the fields behind their modest home.
She started off walking, but slowly picked up her pace, until she was sprinting through the field filled with flowers. She picked a few and placed them in her braid, decorating it.
Stephanie laid down, and gazed up at the blue sky above her. "Why couldn't everyday be this beautiful," she said out loud, not thinking any one was near enough to hear.
"If everyday was this beautiful, than we wouldn't have any days to love." Stephanie sat up, startled by a reply to her out worded thinking. A tall man was walking out of the woods. Stephanie stood up, and slowly began to walk away. Her mother warned her of strangers, and strangers coming out from the woods must mean trouble.
"Don't worry my dear girl, I mean you no harm." The man spoke as he approached her. Stephanie took this opportunity to observe him. He appeared to be middle aged, and his blonde hair had strands of gray. His eyes were blue, the same shade as the sky.
"Who are you?" Stephanie asked, taking another step back, satisfied with her observance.
"Stephanie, you don't recognize your own father?" The man said with a slight tint of hurt.
"According to my mother I have no father. He left us alone when I was a baby. So if you are my father, you have tons of explaining to do, and to be frank, I don't want to hear it." Stephanie's voice became stern, and the man was taken aback by it.
"Damn you Demeter and your manipulations!" He whispered to himself, but Stephanie heard.
"What did you call my mother? Her name is Deborah, not Demeter. That is a very awful sounding name." Stephanie still kept her distance, ready to run when the moment called for it, but there was something about this man that seemed friendly, almost familiar. She wasn't taking her chances though, this could be a crazed, delusional man, he did call her mother Demeter for one, and he did appear out of the woods.
"Let's go pay your mother a visit, Per-, I mean Stephanie."
"HOW DARE YOU?" Deborah shouted at the man, who was named Zach. Stephanie stood next to her mother, giving him the same dirty look Deborah was. Zach couldn't help but be amused at how much the two women where alike.
"Deborah, Deborah, Deborah-that's what your name is here right? You knew this day would come. You've known all this time, you cannot be upset at me. It is high time our daughter knew the truth, and her real name, and your real name, and my real name. STOP LYING TO HER!" The man's tone went from conversational to aggressive, in a matter of seconds.
Stephanie looked at her mother, who had tears streaming down her cheeks.
"What is he talking about mom? My name is Stephanie, isn't it?" Her heart sank when her mother shook her head.
"Your name is Persephone my darling." Deborah managed to say through sobs, "my name is Demeter, and this is your father Zeus." She said pointing to the man. Stephanie began laughing, not understanding the seriousness of the truth her mother was telling her.
"That's impossible, Demeter and Zeus are Greek Gods, myths, figures of the past!" Stephanie said smiling, until her father stood up.
"Only because I have allowed it to be so. You aren't understanding the truth Persephone." He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"No, no, no. Persephone ends up marrying…." Stephanie's eyes became large, and her heart began to pound. Her mother's expression sealed the truth for her.
"Hades."