Demeter watched her daughter as Kore was sitting next to the fountain. She refused to call her by the name that monster had given her.

Oh, her poor child. It has been many years since he took her. Since then, her daughter spent only half of the years with her. She hated him even more for it.

So, here she was, watching her little one. Kore had an air of excited happiness around her, not the usual melancholy. As the time she passed next to her mother, she was smiling more and more. Demeter hoped the cause of this was that she began to feel more at ease here, in the sunshine, after the gloomy darkness.

"How are you today?" she asked her daughter stepping up to her.

Kore's smile faltered a bit, then returned to her face, but she could sadly see that it was faked.

"I'm alright, mother."

"How fast these months have passed. We only have a day together."

"Yes… Only a day," a real smile reached her lips.

Demeter frowned. Apparently, that monster had been doing something to her daughter. Kore seemed unnaturally happy to return to that gruesome place. Was he brainwashing her? That could be the only reason to this. She decided to speak about the matter with Zeus. She wouldn't let that… that creature to get away with this.

"Mother?"

"It's nothing," she smiled at her daughter.

She stood up and briskly walked away, leaving a bewildered Kore in her wake.

"Demeter… I don't think that Hades is brainwashing your daughter," said Zeus tiredly.

The goddess of the harvest came up to Olympos after an excited and smiling Persephone left for the Underworld.

"But he is! Our daughter seemed to be happy when she went down. He is bewitching her to fall in love with him!"

"He is the god of the dead. Not the love. He can't make anybody enamoured."

"Then ask that floozy! She has to be helping him!"

"Demeter… I don't think that…"

"Ask her!" seethed the goddess.

Zeus sighed. Of course, Hera had told him already that he won't be able to make Demeter see reason. So he sent Hermes for Aphrodite. He actually liked his silent brother. Never complaining, not causing problems, not whining constantly. So if Persephone was falling in love with him, good for them!

The door opened a little and the goddess of love slipped in with the messenger god. Demeter instantly set upon her.

"What have you done to her?"

"What? To who?" asked confusedly Aphrodite.

"Demeter thinks that you bewitched Persephone to love Hades," filled her in Hermes.

"But I didn't"

"You did!"

"Didn't!"

"Did!"

"DIDN'T!"

"DID!"

Zeus and Hermes looked at each other desperately. The two goddesses nearly fell together by the ears.

Then, Aphrodite, with closed eyes in rage, started glowing and sent out a wave of soft pink light. She suddenly stopped screaming.

"Where did everybody go? Oh, this must have been one of Hermes' newest pranks. Really… Making me angry, then vanishing everybody. And saying Hades made me bewitch Persephone… Can't they see the real love? I haven't even done anything to them. Oh, when I get my hands on that imp…" muttered the goddess while walking out.

The other three stood gaping after her.

"What has gotten into her?" asked Demeter.

"Wait a moment," said Hermes and hurried out of the room.

The other two just stood there silently. Not long after, the messenger god returned wonderingly.

"I think that nobody can see or hear us. I walked up to Ares and punched him, but he didn't even see me. He just muttered and looked around frowning."

"Oh, marvelous," growled Zeus. "It must have been Aphrodite. Should have been accidental."

"But how are we going to turn it back?" asked Demeter, her anger forgotten.

"Don't know."

"I dare say that I know the answer. Aphrodite wanted to make her point that she hasn't done anything to Persephone. I think that this way we can see it," said Hermes.

"Good point," replied Zeus. "We can see what they are doing in the Underworld and they won't sense us. Otherwise, there is no way Hades is showing his emotions around us."

"So we are going to prove my point," said a triumphant Demeter.

"Yes, we might…" left Zeus.

"So it is decided," said smugly the winged god with mischievous eyes. He had already seen the couple together.