Rise Up
"What," Demeter hissed, "is this?" She was glaring at the offending item in her hand. Her knuckles were white as she clutched it, wrathful against its very existence.
Clipped onto a lock of her fiery red hair by the nape of Persephone's neck, had been a small jeweled feather. Persephone winced as her mother jerked a hand full of her hair, yanking her whole body towards the elder Goddess.
Persephone wasn't sure how her mother had noticed it. The gift that Hades' had given her was her most prized possession—for so long it was the only thing from the Underworld that she'd be able to keep. And that was only because Demeter hadn't found it. When the whole debacle had originally happened and the six months of shared custody had been agreed on—without her opinion, she thought, resentfully—Persephone had been forced to travel back and forth from her mother's home and her husband's realm.
Persephone's first summer home had been…difficult to say the least. Demeter was unrelenting in her anger. She bad-mouthed Hades, cursing his name. She ranted against Zeus for making the decision that took her daughter from her. She raged against the other Olympians for minor slights as well.
When Persephone had returned to her mother's dwelling for the first time, Demeter had taken one look at her, dressed as a Queen should be, and went into a rage of hysterics and screeching. Demeter rushed up to Persephone and had grasped the delicate, amethyst colored gown which Persephone had loved dearly in both hands and ripped it asunder, right off of Persephone's body.
Persephone was only thankful she'd been in the confines of Demeter's home. However, when Persephone moved to cover her indecency, Demeter took even greater offence. The Queen of the Underworld had fled to her childhood bedroom in embarrassment and sorrow. The next morning she'd risen she had found a stark white, roughly woven children's chiton to be the only thing for her to wear. When Persephone had broached the subject that morning with Demeter, the Goddess of the harvest only replied that a minor Goddess of Spring and Innocence should be dressed properly. Demeter had emphasized minor and innocence, with more than the usual dismissing.
The rest of her time there, Persephone had walked on egg shells around her mother. However, there hadn't been any more outbursts like that for the summer and Persephone pushed it out of her mind.
During the spring and summer, Demeter had watched her like a hawk. There was nothing Persephone did that Demeter did not know of and include herself in, including bathing. Demeter had intruded on those often and completely shoved aside Persephone request for privacy. Persephone was also not allowed to wander off. Demeter was set on towing Persephone anywhere and everywhere with her and Persephone's protests went unheard.
Persephone had chalked it up to her mother's grief. She knew her mother missed her terribly when Persephone had left her and she couldn't find it in herself to push her mother for the freedom she craved.
The second return from Hades' realm was…much the same. Her mother had raged and screamed and sobbed dramatically. She'd destroyed the beautiful gown that Hades' had given to Persephone—thankfully, this time Persephone hadn't been wearing it when she'd stepped into the river to bath—and Demeter had crushed the fine necklace that had been given to her by Nemesis, with whom Persephone had found friendship. This continued after Persephone's returns from her stays in the underworld and after destroying Persephone's belongings, Demeter would rationalize it away—saying things like 'Goddesses of Spring and Innocence do not need jewels' or 'Silk chitons of such lovely colors are not fit for working in the fields'.
It had taken several years before Persephone realized that Demeter got rid of Persephone's things, not because they were not functional or proper for a Goddess of Spring, but instead because they came from the land of the dead.
During these many long years of adjusting to being a Queen, a wife, and beloved friend to returning to acting as a submissive, minor Goddess of Spring, Persephone wrestled with her feelings regarding her mother. Yes, she would always love her Demeter, because for many bright, happy years it had only been them. Persephone loved Demeter and that would never change.
There had been fights and tears and shouting between during these adjustments. One major issue for Persephone was that Demeter wouldn't stop calling her 'Kore', although Persephone had asked countless times. It had caused a long, angry, and bitter fight. One that Persephone didn't like to recall. It was early dawn when they'd come to a compromise that Demeter would accept. Persephone would stop wearing 'indecent gowns' and not wander from Demeter's side and, for her part, Demeter would call Persephone by her given name.
So, Persephone no longer wore the gorgeous gowns gifted to her by her loving husband when she went home to her mother. Any jewelry was left behind as well. Small tokens, such as a flower hair clip or her ebony hairbrush went missing after a day or two of being with her mother again, and Persephone quickly learned to hide them or leave them home.
Home. The realm of the dead had become more 'home' than the land of the living. Home was a realm where Persephone was treated with respect as a ruling monarch, as a Goddess, as a woman. She was happy, free, and able to speak her mind and was encouraged to do these things.
When she was with her mother she was spoken to like a child, forced to dress as a child, and asked to 'Please, think before you speak' or 'When your older…'—as if she were a child to be taught a lesson and still to be reared.
When Hades realized that the gifts he was sending home with his Queen were being destroyed, he went ballistic. How dare she destroy Persephone's things? Gifts that he'd given his beloved! If it weren't for Persephone's abused feelings then he would have raised hell on Olympus about Persephone's treatment. But Persephone was hurting enough; to start a fight would be to cause Persephone more heartache. Something Hades would not willingly do.
"Mother, you're hurting me," Persephone cried out. She was certain that Demeter had already pulled out a chunk of hair. When Demeter demanded to know who'd given the trinket, Persephone stayed silent. She was tired of being pushed around. She was tired of being treated like a child. She was a Queen. It dawned on her for the first time.
She out ranked Demeter. Demeter who was merely one Goddess of twelve. Persephone, although born a minor deity, was married to one of the Big Three Gods. Persephone grabbed Demeter's hand where it held firmly entangled in her hair.
She was shaking, Persephone noticed in the back of her mind. She could feel her heart rate accelerate and the world around her slow down. Something that was not her usual powers over the flowers and spring, welled to the tips of her fingers. A black vine, shadowy and thorny shot from the ground between Persephone and Demeter and began to wrap around Demeter's arm. Demeter let out a shout, the horror and disgust on her face was clear and distorted Demeter's lovely features.
But when Demeter didn't release Persephone, the vine began to tighten like a python squeezes the life from its prey. Demeter was still a Goddess, however, and Persephone knew the squeezing vine would not truly harm Demeter. When the elder Goddess was forced to let go, Persephone shot towards the door. Pain was beginning to exploded from the section of her skull where the jeweled feather had one been. And clutched in Demeter's grasp, was a fistful of long strands of red hair lying limply to the clasp that had held it in place.
"Kore," her mother bellowed, as she struggled with the black vine. "Do not leave this house, child!" Demeter was gritting her teeth and clawing at the vine. The thorns seemed to have no sting to them as Demeter raked her nails into the vine's flesh. It shrank back, as though it could feel the pain she caused it.
And she knew that the vine wouldn't hold her mother for long. Persephone took one step toward the door and fled.
.~.~.
The Goddess of the Underworld continued to flee from her mother's home well into the night. She knew she needed to cross the boarders of her mother's realm and was fleeing towards safe haven of the Underworld.
But when the pain began to dissipate from her head, her mind cleared and she slowed. She couldn't return to the Underworld, no matter how much she wished to be curled up in her husband's warm embrace. Demeter would curse the lands and Zeus would be forced to mediate the issue. Her father would not be happy. Speak nothing of Hades…If she were to flee to the Dread Lord of the Underworld, there would be an all-out war. Hades wouldn't let her go again. If given the chance, she knew that he would gladly keep her at his side…and she wouldn't argue.
It wouldn't be safe for Persephone to hide with the humans for they were unpredictable. Who knows what could happen to her if they found out they harbored a Goddess. Not to mention the wrath Demeter would rain down upon them.
She couldn't not entreat Zeus for safety on Olympus unless she was willing to start a war.
That left Ares. With a decisive nod she turned to seek out her old friend.
"'Seph," the God of War asked in surprise as she bounced off of him. She'd run pell-mell into his small dwelling. He hadn't been home, but when he had sensed the disturbance in his home he had flashed back. Right into where she'd been running. And he was grateful that she did.
"Ares," she sobbed breathlessly.
Ares, who had always had a connection to Persephone, felt his protective instincts flare. He wrapped his thick corded arms around her and dragged her away from the front door of his home into his hall, which was deeper in the home and none dared to enter, not even other gods. He held her gently in his arms, careful not to let the spikes of his helm anywhere near her.
The hall was intimidating, as befit a God of war. There were bone of mortals and immortal beasts and others alike scattered across the edges of the room. In the room was a small bench that he used for a makeshift throne if anyone ever dared entreat him. He slowly set Persephone on the bench and kneeled next to her.
They had always had an odd connection. The Goddess of Spring and the God of War. Both dealt in life and blood—whereas she was the life blood, he was the bloodshed. More similarities were noted later on in their interactions, but Ares had always been protective of Persephone since the moment she wandered to close and smiled at him. Theirs was a love between siblings, for Ares' heart already belonged to Aphrodite and Persephone…Well, Ares' had known shortly after meeting her that her heart was destined for someone—a great someone.
Ares had known this, but it was the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, who had confirmed it when Persephone had slipped away from her mother and come to join them for a meal and company. The two had spent a large amount of time whispering and talking in low tones. Had it been anyone else diverting Aphrodite's attentions there would have been blood, however it seemed Persephone had always been the exception to the rule.
Today she cried to Ares unlike she'd ever cried before—sobbing out her hatred of her mother's actions, how she was a Queen but treated like an infant; all of her woes and anger towards her injustices.
She was an emotional creature by nature, Ares knew. But this outburst was different; this was a breaking point. There had never been a time in the past centuries where she'd flung herself into his arms, simply trusting him to allow no harm to come to her and sobbed like she was a banshee crying for the dead. Something was very wrong and from what the God of War could make out it started and ended with Demeter.
Inwardly, he sighed being careful not to let Persephone see the sorrow in his eyes. He and Aphrodite had known that this day would someday come to pass and it was a topic of discussion that came up frequently. It burned in Ares gut and made him want to raze entire civilizations. The problem was that a parent as obsessively protective as Demeter was wouldn't let go so easily of their possession.
It caused an ache in his breast bone. Ares was not a sympathetic being nor was he empathetic, however the plight of his sister was devastating to him.
Demeter saw Persephone as an extension of herself—not as her own person. Aphrodite had said it wasn't that Demeter meant to see her daughter that way; that it was set in Demeter's mind that spring was an extension of the Harvest. Aphrodite cautioned that it would cause strife for Persephone and her mother's relationship. She sadly confessed one night in confidence to Ares that Demeter was never going to be the supportive, encouraging mother that Persephone needed.
When Persephone was little she was a bringer of life to the Earth. She brought flowers and thistle and brushes and trees to life. This pleased Demeter because it was another facet of the Harvest in Demeter's thought. However as Persephone grew into a young adult she had begun to see that there was more to Spring than new plants. There was something more and this new idea was branching out into territory that Demeter had no control. It worried Aphrodite that Demeter would become increasingly aggressive to keep Persephone in the realm Demeter could control.
It was like a noose slipping and tightening around Persephone's throat, she'd once said softly to Ares. On one end she was being pushed to be innocent and the other was a nagging feeling that there was something more. Demeter began tightening her hold on Persephone—forcing attendants to spend all waking hours with Persephone, to be Demeter's little spies. When it had gotten to be too much and when the need to know more about what was happening to her was so great, Persephone had slipped her mother's appointed attendants and made her way to Mount Olympus.
She had done the absolute unexpected. She entreated Hera, the Queen of the Gods, who disliked her. Hera, who had only hatred for Demeter, had gleefully sat with the daughter and spoke with her. Like all the Gods, Hera's heart softened to Persephone—who was smart, respectful, and gentle, but also curious and adventurous.
Hera extracted her greatest revenge on Demeter that day. Demeter had meant for Persephone to be Kore all her life, a virgin Goddess, who knew nothing of men, love, or sex. All an intrinsic part of what Spring was and it's other ways of bringing about new life. Hera talked with Persephone at length, well into the early morning of the next day. She'd turned away all others who wished for her time and excluded even Zeus until Persephone had all the answers she needed.
Oh how Demeter had raged when she learned about that meeting. Not that Demeter could do anything to harm Hera, but Demeter had gone and bellowed and blustered. It wasn't long after that Demeter started becoming more unstable and, with each passing day, more controlling.
Ares wanted to start another war thinking of it, now more than ever. Persephone had been abused by her mother. A woman who should have loved her above all else and encouraged her to be her own entity. But the abuse had become steadily worse over the years.
Demeter threw comments like, "If you loved me, you'd be content at my side for all time," and "I just don't know what I'd do without you, Kore. If you'd leave me, I couldn't possibly go on". Demeter's double edged words said 'I love you' but also came with underlying conditions to that love. The Goddess of the Harvest never outright said these things, but Persephone felt them. Comments like that were excessive and ever so slowly, Persephone found herself trapped in a web of self-doubt and anxiety.
Demeter had always kept Persephone isolated from the rest of the Olympians and the world. Regulating her friends and those around her, Demeter was able to insure that her daughter had no privacy and no confidants that would truly keep her confidence.
Any secret of Persephone's, if naively told to her friends chosen for her, found their way back to her mother's ears. Once, Persephone whispered to a dryad that she enjoyed how Apollo looked riding his chariot, thinking him very handsome. When Demeter heard this, she was wrathful. It was the first time Persephone had seen her mother truly angry. The older goddess raged that Persephone was too young to be thinking of such things. She was too young to naïve to understand the deep seated evil of all men. Persephone had learned quickly to keep her counsel to herself, and on occasion, to Ares.
But this time, the isolation was much worse. Worse than choosing spies to befriend her daughter, Demeter smothered her daughter. She refused to allow Persephone to be more than several meters away. Any time Persephone wandered she was reined back with a quick reproach and comments on how Persephone—'her own darling daughter, her reason for living'—didn't respect or care for Demeter's happiness because Persephone was keen on disobeying.
Oh, Ares had known how much Persephone chaffed under Demeter's oppressive love. He knew how much Persephone needed to be free to make her own decisions.
He also knew how much Persephone rebelled from her mother, even in small ways. She grew thorn bushes in her mother's wheat fields time and time again. A few times she'd taken a large number of dyes that she'd been gifted and dyed her all her white clothing to pink, blue, or once, even purple—only to find white clothing showed up in a day or two and no colored remained. Once she had gotten a hold of a hair stain and it had been charcoal black for months. She paid dearly for that one when Demeter had only nasty things to say until it grew back to its original color. Persephone learned to keep her rebellions quiet. She began slipping away when her mother was busy or when Demeter was sleeping, which was fast becoming the only time she spent alone.
And that is how it happened.
How Persephone met Hades when she'd wandered through the woods into the deepest shadows, where she could revel quietly in her small amount of freedom. She returned to her home with Demeter after an hour or two because she did not want to be discovered and have her new found freedom revoked. After several weeks of discreetly leaving the home and finding herself becoming at home in the darkened forest, she learned that she was not the only one who enjoyed the freedom of the gentle night.
A soft, caressing breeze pushed gently through the trees. It made the leaves applaud in a way that soothes the mind and the soul. It was a warm night and the fragrance of the early summer flitted through the air.
It was almost pitch black in the forest, dark shapes of trees on a charcoal background. But Persephone did not worry. It was a path she was beginning to know well. One that would lead her to a small grove with a pile of grey erratic boulders that she found perfect for sitting and a small creak that gurgled over smooth stones.
Oh, today had been trying. Persephone couldn't wait to come to her sanctuary. Where it was quiet, where there were no demands, no boundaries…
No Demeter.
Her heart had screamed to be free of Demeter's stifling presence. She loved her mother dearly, but it was costing Persephone her peace of mind and a piece of her soul to continue to please Demeter, who was never quite happy.
Her soul was turbulent, warring between the love she had for her mother, the need to respect Demeter, and the growing anxiety and anger towards her.
Sometimes she dreamt of running away, but she loved her mother too dearly to inflict that kind of pain on her and she had nowhere to go. Other times she thought to marry someone, just to be free of Demeter, but no one came to mind…and Demeter was pushing for Persephone to vow to become a virgin Goddess like Artemis.. If Demeter said, 'If you loved me, you'd understand why you should take a vow to be a virgin goddess. Minor, though, you are', Persephone was sure she'd go mad. But Demeter seemed determined to spend long days expanding on the evils of men and their desires.
However, from what Hera had said, those 'desires' didn't sound so bad to Persephone. In fact, they sounded exciting and interesting. Something that Persephone might one day wish to do with a husband. She had gone to Hera previously and after a long conversation with Hera about who she was and the feelings she had, Persephone knew that taking the virgin's vow was not for her; despite her mother's claims that it would mean Persephone didn't love Demeter.
Persephone was tangled up in her thoughts and did not notice the new black figure against the dark grey of the landscape. She settled in her usual spot with the boulder against her back and the ground with its plushy grass beneath her.
"One would think a young lady such as yourself would be more aware of her surroundings," a deep, dark voice sounded.
Persephone yelped and was to her feet, instantly drawn back to reality. Her eyes roved around the clearing, landing on a large figure of a man. A handsome man, at least Persephone thought so.
He stood in the deepest shadows, unmoving and looking sternly at her. He seemed to want a reply, but she could think of none.
"Who are you?" he inquired. "I know all the mortals, but I do not know you." His voice was hard, sharp but there was something else to it. A curious quality that made Persephone stop her plans to flee.
"I am not a mortal. My names Ko—Persephone," she blurted. Inwardly she cringed. He might think her lacking in wits for messing up her own name, but she wanted to be known as Persephone for once in her life.
He went even more still, if that were possible, making him seem like he was made of stone. "Zeus' daughter. I see…"
That was new, Persephone had thought. Always before she was 'Demeter's Daughter'. It was rather…refreshing.
They met often in that spot, speaking over a great many topics for a few hours before she departed, but pledging to come back the next night. It was the start of a new friendship; one that was healthy was soon developed into affection. Love came soon after. Persephone and the dark man, whom she'd come to know was Hades, the Dread Lord of the Underworld.
One night, when Hades teasingly begged off for one night to attend to business, Persephone had flown instead to Ares' home. She had known that he would be there with Aphrodite and as soon as she was received, panting and nearly bouncing around, she began to tell them of her news. At first when she ran into his home, Ares' thought she was being chased. He'd pulled both his ladies deeper into the house, ignoring their chatter and grabbed his nearest weapon. He was going out to patrol the area when he'd heard Persephone gasp, "…And I love him! Aphrodite, he loves me back! Can you believe it?" Ares froze, turning slowly and listening to his sister squeak happily as Aphrodite expanded on the benefits of love to one such as Hades.
Ares knew Hades to be ruthless and cold, both in battles and business. He knew the oldest God to be stalwart and stoic. He'd never seen Hades possessing even a fiber of love, but Ares had seen the compassion in Hades' eyes when he judged souls, on the few rare instances that he'd seen the judging. There was a possibility that Persephone had indeed ensnared the heart of the Lord of the Underworld. He had later seen the love and tenderness that fills Hades' eyes when he looked at Persephone. He knew that as a brother, he'd always care for Persephone and he was glad for her to know a love such as he shared with Aphrodite.
Aphrodite had practically crowed when she realized true match between Hades and Persephone. She'd given a little dance and shouted triumphantly. Opposites truly attracted. "The stoic king and the innocent queen! Oh, and it's going to be forbidden! What stories this will make," she gasped happily.
"Oh, Ares," Persephone sobbed, pulling Ares back to the present. "I don't want to go back to my mother. I want to stay with Hades. I don't want to go back."
Ares hushed her, finding it in him to be only gentle to her. "The contract with your mother and Zeus—,"
Persephone pulled away from him, disgust and anger warring for attention on her face. "The agreement that I did not give consent too." She flew into a standing position and he had to move backwards and to his feet to accommodate her sudden movement.
Her mood changed like the first bluster of an unexpected storm on the ocean. "It is not my fault that she decided to starve thousands of mortals. It should not be expected of me to pay for my mother's sins! And yet that is exactly what I am doing," she growled, her voice raising to almost a bellowing. "I am not a child with erring ways that must be corrected. I am a goddess. A Queen and I should demand to be treated like one!"
She went silent and paced for a moment. "I demand to be treated like one," she murmured, coming to some conclusion that Ares did not grasp.
Right before him, Persephone straightened and pulled back her shoulders. She met his eyes with a hard look, "I am a Queen. I will be treated as such."
Pride suffused him. "Damn straight, 'Seph."
.~.~.
Hera gazed at her family around her, all standing with the exception of the big three Gods and their Queens. Minor Gods and deities had been called as well as the major ones. All Gods from Janice and Hestia to Zeus, Poseidon, and even Dread Hades himself. However, on a second look Ares was missing. He was usually late, Hera thought fondly, watching him slip into the hall without a care for his tardiness.
The Queen of the Gods had received a secret message last night asking to meet all the Olympians in the Great Hall—even the most minor deity was to attend. Curious, Hera sent out the order. No God or Goddess in their right mind would deny her.
Demeter had been a challenge to get to the top of the mountain. She was beside herself once again, sobbing and playing a victim. Crying out that someone had stolen her daughter once again. She was making the biggest scene she could…Hera found it quite distasteful. Although she herself had made several scenes to gain attention to her plight, Demeter made hers scene ugly and overly hysteric.
They all watched as Demeter had flown in a furry at Hades as he silently slipped into the room from one of the shadows, de-morphing from their depths, screeching that he'd kidnapped her daughter once again.
Hera felt pleasure when Hades' look alone stopped Demeter. It was a look that no one had seen since the war of the Gods versus the Titans. It was dark and brooding…and deadly.
Demeter shrank away from him but from a further distance away continued her hysterics. "You've stolen her again! During my time with her! You have broken the agreement," she turned to Zeus. "He has broken the contract! You must give Persephone to me for all time!" Her face showed a sense of relief, although it was strained and tight.
Zeus turned to Hera, "Is this why you've called an assembly, my Queen?"
Hera shrugged gracefully with one shoulder, not glancing at the any of the three gods involved in mess. Like a stone thrown into a smooth lake, it occurred to Hera why she'd been asked to convene. "No, dear husband," she replied as small smile growing and her eyes lighting. "To be sure, the meaning of this meeting will be clear shortly. Do speak with Hades'."
Zeus took her command and turned to the eldest brother. "Hades," he questioned. "Is what Demeter says true?"
Hades turned his dark countenance towards his younger brother and he ground out, "It is Demeter's time. I have not forsaken the contract." Anger and bitterness welled up inside Hades, threatening to break his careful mask of indifference. Who were these people to continually take from his the greatest treasure he had? Who were they to regulate when his heart was to be clumsily ripped from his breast bone? Hades looked scornfully at them—his 'family'. The minor gods and goddess, he had no quarrel with. Ares and Aphrodite, either, for they offered friendship to Persephone, although she requested it to be secret. She could not stand the thought of her mother's wrath coming down on either of her friends. Hephaestus stayed well away from the drama and Artemis and Apollo were also blameless. But still, none of them had stood up to back the love that had grown between he and his Queen.
The only one who had stood beside them was Atlas, who sees all that happens between the ground and the sky. From his perch on the Atlas Mountains, he had watched the love between the lovers grow. But why would the Olympians give credit to the Titan God who had lead the war against Zeus? They wouldn't. They listened with deaf ears to the testimony given to them from the Bearer of the Heavens and then decided with stone cold hearts to tear Persephone away from Hades.
The Dread God looked wrathful and with growing apprehension Zeus realized that Hades was hanging on by the merest thread. The Lord of the Underworld would not suffer his Queen being taken from him repeatedly for much longer. And when Hades revolted…the Underworld would as well.
It was easy to forget Hades in his dark pit on a realm, Zeus had thought to himself for many years. Until all this nonsense with Demeter and her child brought Hades to the forefront. Zeus could rule one of two ways: for Demeter, who scourged the earth and murdered a mass percentage of the populace; or for Hades, who was equally dangerous. Possibly more so, Zeus was beginning to think.
For if Hades were to renegade on the contract, who would be able to stop him? He had the might of all the deceased. They would fight if Hades gave the order. Hades was also the god who kept the Titans locked in Tartarus and Zeus did not doubt for a moment that Hades was capable of unchaining them.
So why hadn't he? Zeus wondered had pondered this, for unlike his actions dictated, Zeus could think things through if he applied himself.
The answer was because Hades had no desire to rule more than he did. He was content to watch over his lands with his Queen tucked beside him. But his Queen was being threatened and continually torn from him. Zeus knew without a doubt, if Persephone asked for something Hades would see it done. So it was that Persephone was what stood between the Gods and mortal from complete obliteration. If Demeter were to curse the world again the people would starve and die. The Gods and Goddesses needed their worship for their continual survival…
Hades, his Queen, and his realm did not.
A bead of sweat trickled down Zeus' forehead. He'd made the best decision he could at the time, but Hades patience was coming to an end.
Zeus nodded to acknowledge Hades previous statement and turned to Demeter. "Woman, cease. Hades has given his word that he has not taken Persephone. Be calm and the entire pantheon will look for her."
Demeter's face was stricken when she turned to look at Zeus. "His word," she turned around circling to look at all the gods and goddess. "His word means nothing," she declared in the middle of the Great Hall. "He is a monster and a rapist and a murderer! He takes the lives of the mortals and he has taken my darling daughter's life as well! Cursed her to spend her days with him, tied to his side!" She pleaded with the other deities to see him for what she believed him to be. Cursed him and misaligned him in front of the entire counsel. Hades stood like a pillar of marble, seemingly unaffected by Demeter's accusations.
When Zeus command that she take her seat and stop her hysterics, she wailed louder until she was barely understandable.
"Be silent, Mother," a steely voice commanded, brooking no argument and no refusal.
All eyes turned to the entrance where Persephone stood, tall and graceful. Her long hair had been perfectly styled in intricate braids, with several small and long curls framing her face. The long ember colored hair that was curled in the back and free from the braids hung stylishly down to the lower part of her back. Dressed in a dark, seductive and flowing gown and her platinum circlet, she held herself with the posture of a queen. Bangles of more platinum lovingly caressed her wrists and her dress cascaded from where it sat off her shoulders down to her feet. It was embroidered with silver silk designs on the hem and the cloth was as if it had been weaved by water, flowing around her in a way that made one think of a waterfall. It made no noise as she stepped delicately into the Great Hall.
No one spoke as she slipped towards her mother who stood gaping at her daughter. But Persephone's eyes were not on Demeter. They were fixed instead on Hades who returned the stare. As he had not sat down in his throne in the hall, he stepped forward and held out his hand. "My Queen," he greeted as she strode past her mother without a single glance.
"My love," Persephone replied, her eyes warming to the sight of him. She took his hand and Hades pulled it to his heart and trapped it there.
Hades and Ares were the only one who did not seemed surprised at her new look. Gone were the childish clothing of white and flowers braided into her hair. A Queen stood in place of the girl previously known as Kore.
There seemed to be a spell woven around the two. As they stood, soaking each other in no one seemed to be able to move for several long moments. There was love in their gaze and an undercurrent of desperation between the two. Separation was taking its toll on the two, driving them towards insanity. Persephone took her free hand and placed it carefully on his cheek and Hades leaned into her hand, ever so slightly.
"K-Kore," Demeter squalled. "Kore, return to me this instant!" Demeter commanded Persephone with a tone that said that Demeter thought her daughter would return meekly to her side. "That hateful man will not corrupt you any longer. He has lied again! The contract is broken."
Persephone turned and looked at her mother, coldly. There was a dark note to her gaze, but Demeter still thought she was in control.
"I will not," Persephone announced. No one needed to know that she was trembling on the inside or that her stomach was so tightly knotted that she may never eat again. Perhaps, Hades and Ares knew already, but no one else needed to know the cowardly part of her that wanted to submit and obey. She knew Hades stood behind her, a column of strength and someone to lean on.
But this was her fight. It was time to be treated like a woman, a Queen, and a Goddess. She had to set the standard now or she would be treated like a child forever.
And forever was too long of a time for an immortal.
"You will," Demeter pushed. "You are mine and will return to my side. That man had warped your mind against me. In time, without his influence, you will see that only I truly love you. Come, child.'
"I am no child and you will cease to treat me this way," Persephone boomed in a voice that she didn't realize she possessed. The tone was strong and final and she liked the way it sounded. It sounded like an order from a woman, even perhaps a Queen. It sounded like Persephone, the back of her mind noted happily and with joy.
Demeter sighed as if talking with a young child that was being obstinate. "If you must insist that you are not a child and you continue to act as if you do, it only proves how immature and childish you truly are." She opened her arms, as if expecting Persephone to fly into them and hug her as she did growing up. "It is time to come home. We'll get you cleaned up."
"Leave her be—," Ares interrupted. He could not take any more of this condescension toward Persephone. He tried to muscle his way towards Demeter, intent on using intimidation to get the woman to back down.
"Be still," Zeus ordered in a voice that resounded to the base of the mountain. Ares froze in obedience, though he did not want to. None disobey the Lord of the Gods when he spoke thusly.
"Persephone, daughter. I am surprised to see you," Zeus turned to speak with her.
She turned her back on Demeter, but did not bow as she was expected to. Simply, she raised her eyebrow in response and asked why.
"You did not seem to like our mountain," he said, hoping to push into a conversation with the Goddess. There was something more to all these goings about than he originally thought.
"I was not allowed to come to Olympus in my youth," she responded. "Mother said it would only serve to corrupt me."
"But you are a woman now, as I see. Yet, you do not come to Olympus, even when you reside in the land of the living."
"I was not allowed too."
Zeus puzzled over that comment for a moment before continuing. "You did not come with you resided in the Underworld."
"I did not wish too. There was precious little time to spend with Hades as it was. I didn't want to waste it."
"Then why have you come now?" Zeus shifted in his seat. It was an uncomfortable sensation to know that what this woman was about to say could potentially lead to their destruction.
"Because a grave injustice is being done to me and I want it to stop." When Zeus motioned for her to go on explaining, she took a breath. How to start? Where to start? How to make them see that she was an adult capable to make her own decisions and an individual separate from her mother? She almost started when a warm voice came from her left.
"Start with that, dear. That thought that just crossed your mind, Persephone," the Goddess of the Hearth said in her warm, but quiet tone. She was a peace keeper. A friend to all. Persephone believed that Hestia had more power than all the other Olympians realized, for this was not the first time Hestia heard a thought or two from other Gods.
Persephone turned her gaze to the older Goddess, who was draped in a warm robe and standing peacefully surrounded by her family. She gave Persephone a nod of encouragement and Persephone found her tongue.
"Father, do none of you see that I am an adult? I have matured and yet I am treated like a child. I am being punished for sins that are not my own. I will be treated like the woman that I am and I will not stand for this any longer. If I wish to live with my husband full-time, than I will. I am not an object that is partially owned."
"That agreement was made-," Zeus began, clearing his voice to begin to elaborate on the contract.
"That agreement was made without my consent," she interrupted, imperiously. She would be taken seriously, even if she had to talk over the King of the Gods himself to be so. "In essence, I have been abducted from my home time and time again and held hostage." Her voice grew louder, not yelling quite yet, but increasing to the point where she could not be ignored. "I will not have it."
"Exactly," Demeter roused. "Exactly, my darling. You have been taken from me year after year. At last you understand my feelings—how vital you are to my happiness," she praised.
Persephone turned on her mother, anger crawling through her veins and a cold sweat running between her shoulder blades. She was not enjoying this confrontation. "Be quiet," she snapped in a harsh tone. "It is from my husband I have been taken and held from. In your home! My mother's home! I have been kept hostage and keep against my will. I have been smothered and abused and oppressed there. Because your feelings—your needs—are greater than my own in that home! I am forced to dress like a child and am spoken to like one. I cannot keep tolerating it."
"You are my daughter and I have treated you as no less, ungrateful child. You obviously don't know how much I have sacrificed for you. This attitude is doing nothing but showing me that I was right; that you are still a child. Come along, you're wasting everyone's time."
"No," Persephone growled. She could feel her anger becoming something colder, something darker. "I love you," a single tear leaked down the side of her face. "But I am an adult and I refuse to be punished for your sins and be abused by you." She refused to wipe the tear away. With another, highly needed, deep breath she put Demeter out of her mind and turned back to Zeus.
"That agreement was made without my consent to appease my mother. She cursed the world and people died. I fail to see why I am being punished for her sins."
"Her punishment stems from you being in the Underworld. It seems to me that you are benefiting from her punishment," Zeus said pointedly.
"No," she countered. "I am being punished by being taken from where I want to be. If the price of her sins is my happiness, it is too high."
Demeter gave her own growl and swore, "I will curse the world again if you are taken from me, Kore."
"You will speak no more or you will be cast from the mountain," Zeus commanded. Demeter leveled a glare at him, but offered no reproach. "See my predicament, daughter? Should I allow you to reside where ever you wish, Demeter will kill the mortals. We would all suffer," he purposely left out that Hades and Persephone herself would be fine if that were the case. "If I gave you fully to your mother, I have no doubt that Hades would go to war for you."
If anyone glanced at Hades at that moment, they would have trembled and, perhaps, wept with the knowledge that Hades would make good on that promise. He would go to war and level the world if it would get him Persephone without strings.
"And yet, if you do not give me my freedom from this charade of a contract, I will ask him to." It blurted out of her mouth before she could stop it. Hades had said he would, over and over again. He promised should she ever ask for the world, he would conquer it and give it to her. It was frightening and humbling to know that if she asked, he could. And he would.
She wanted to grimace and stuff the words back into her mouth as soon as they came out. But there they were and they could not back taken back. She forced her head high and prayed that she gave off the air of confidence. "I will not punish myself for falling in love and marrying. Nor will I punish Hades for the sin of loving me. I will not allow you or anyone else to punish us for this."
If the hall hadn't been more still than a grave, no one would have heard Aphrodite and Eros sigh in pleasure of her statement.
Zeus stared Persephone down for a moment after his eyes flicked in annoyance toward Aphrodite and her son. He spoke after a moment, "Are these to be my only choices, then? The death of mortals or war and then the death of us all?"
Persephone fumbled for a moment, not pleased either with those two options. "No. No those are not your only choices. Grant me free reign of my life and I will give you an answer to this all. One that ends with life and no bloodshed."
"Perhaps, beloved," Hades began, stepping forward and placing a hand on her bare shoulder. His thumb moved over her bare skin causing happy tingles to move through Persephone's body and giving her some ease. "You should give Zeus his final option and allow him to make a decision. One that does not end in the death of the Gods." The final comment was directed as a double edged sword, piercing though the mass of Gods that all sat silently as if watching a drama. It caused a murmur of unease to ripple through the court.
For how could they fight an army of the dead? They would not win and they knew this.
Persephone nodded once in consent. "Hades has a point. Zeus, I ask that Demeter be stripped of the power to cause the earth to die. Let her keep her power to grow, but let the earth regulate itself. Let my mother be the Goddess of the Harvest. But elect a new God to be there to blight the earth, for it is still necessary to cull the herds at times. There is a mortal named Robigus to whom you could entrust this task. He would take it diligently."
A collective gasp at the suggestion and a beginning of quiet conversations began. Questions and thoughts flew from the Gods and Goddesses in their agreement, confusion, or denial. The clamor grew until the deities were conversing louder to be heard to each other.
"No," Demeter cursed. "I am a Goddess. I will not be punished for my wayward daughter's insolence. Do not let this child sway your options. She is young and does not understand what she is saying. I will make sure that her impudence is corrected. Zeus, let me take my daughter home. I will ensure she does not get out of hand again."
This time, Ares did not hold back. "I second the Queen of the Underworld's decision. If Demeter has lost her empathy for the mortals, what is to say she would not begin killing them en masse to ensure she gets her way in all things? If my sister does not get the recognition that she deserves, I will fight with Hades to ensure she is due. She is a loving, gentle soul who doesn't want harm to befall the mortals, but she needs her freedom. And I will war for her." He crossed from his side of the hall and kissed Persephone on the cheek before stepping behind her and shoulder to shoulder with Hades. One with whom he had never sided with before.
Slowly Aphrodite and Eros joined their small side. "I am always on the side of love," she claimed.
Hera nodded her ascent. "It is her place as a wife to be with her husband. Persephone has been a grown woman for some time now."
Demeter began screeching, but no one was listening for they were too focused on their own thoughts.
Artemis glowered at them all and said nothing. Though it was not hard to know where she stood. Her hatred for men was greater than ever, and despite her fondness for Persephone, she believed daughters belong with their mothers.
Dionysus did not seem to care one way or another concerning Persephone, but he was still rather live than die. Which was the attitude of many of the minor deities as well.
"Silence, all of you!" Zeus demanded. He turned to the one Olympian who had not spoken. "Athena, my Queen has spoken and sides have been taken. Tell me your thoughts."
The Goddess of War had no love for Hades and she was naturally against Ares, who presided over the chaos and bloodshed aspect of war. Athena was valued for her battle strategies and for her wisdom and true to her nature she stayed silent until her thoughts were properly gathered.
"I do not wish for war, but I have no desire to see Persephone bound for all time to the Hades. If you grant her freedom to choose, she will certainly spend her days in the Underworld, traveling to the world of the living very little. However, she is an adult in her years and in her mind, and I believe her to be sound of thought. She is cognizant of her actions and understands fully what she has threatened. If she is denied there will be war.
"I believe it is in the best interest of everyone to look at Demeter actions. No immortal who depends on the mortals such as we do, would ever threaten their existence to the point she has. Ares spoke truthfully. Demeter has lost her empathy to humans and their needs, such so that she cannot be entrusted fully with their care. I do not agree, however that she be stripped of her powers. I supply this in negotiation: Let Demeter be given a balance. Allow to balance Demeter's lack, the making of a new Goddess to bring health and sustainability to the mortals."
Zeus pondered this. In this manner no blood should be shed, no powers stripped—thus avoiding wrath and death—and no undead soldiers to fight and lose against. "I see no alternative. Let a new Goddess be formed to balance out Demeter. She will be called Ceres. Her creation will bring balance to the mortals and the freedom of Persephone. Demeter," Zeus stood and addressed her with all his glory shining. "Henceforth, you will be checked. Your actions will have harmony with your equal called Ceres. If you cannot show yourself to be equal with her, she will replace you. This is my ruling."
A wailing came from Demeter. She defended herself claiming she had done no wrong and that she should not suffer punishment because her daughter had misaligned her. She was resolute that she had done no wrong and was being unfairly punished.
However, Zeus spoke over her, ignoring the outburst. "My second ruling is to free Persephone, daughter of Zeus, of the contract she was bound. My daughter, you may live where you choose. You may go as you please. But," he paused. "Do not stay away forever. You have a father who would still like to see you every now and again." He truly loved his daughter. How could he not? He spent the last many years under the impression that Persephone disliked Olympus. Demeter had told all the Olympians that and none questioned her, for why would she lie? And he regretted never checking in with his daughter. It was one of his many failings as a father and husband.
When Hades came to him and asked for Persephone's hand, Zeus was glad to give her to him. Hades, the eldest sibling, had never asked for much. He was a good man with a strong rule of his realm and a great capacity to love, which was only seen during the time of Kronos. Hades had taken care of his siblings in the dark recesses of Kronos' stomach. Zeus fell under that care until the Pantheon had been set up and the lots divided.
It was easy to forget the compassionate, gentle, and loving care of their eldest brother and some Olympians refused to remember it at all; focusing only on Hades ruthless battle abilities and tactics, his cruel treatment of those meant for Tartarus, and his stoic demeanor. But Zeus had not forgotten. And now in this moment, seeing Hades sweep his bride into his arms and kiss her deeply, Zeus could see the old remnants of the brother who had loved them so deeply that he purposely grabbed the shortest stick so that none would have to remain in the dark again.