YAY! I have FINALLY gotten around to uploading chapter two! HIP HIP HOORAY! Hope you like it :)
Love from Leelaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Seven years later
The heavy wooden doors of Hades throne room slowly creaked open and Hades looked up from the current soul he was judging. His pale face only betrayed the slightest hint of what he was feeling, annoyance. Hermes fluttered nervously through and came to a stop a couple of meters before Hades' throne. He stiffly bowed to Hades and stepped a couple of feet back but then started shaking nervously. "Well? What does Zeus want with me now?" Hades calmly asked, his face now a blank canvas. Hermes squeaked and started fluttering up and down. "Erm well you see there's this um really pretty um young g-g-g-goddess um, and she's um you know um turning twenty five. According to the um c-c-c-customs she has to have a um you know, a um c-c-ceremony and Zeus needs you to b-b-be there because she um she can't receive the um nectar from H-h-hebe if not all of the B-b-b-big um three are present and c-c-consent. The ceremony is tomorrow night." Hermes managed to stutter out part of Zeus' message to Hades, but before he could continue Hades butted in and asked him "Do you need to see Hecate for that stutter nephew?" Hermes blushed madly and mumbled a 'no' and something else that did not quite reach Hades' ears. Clearing his throat and straightening up, Hermes started again this time WITHOUT stammering. "Zeus also invited you to the after party which should be fun, eh? Word is that Apollo is bringing some fair nymphs us to 'play with' if you catch my gist?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Hades chuckled and shook his head at his nephew's dirty mind. "Still as immature as ever Hermes. Tell Zeus I'll be there." Hermes got up to leave but then Hades quickly waved him back. "I haven't finished talking to you yet Hermes! Gosh, learn some manners! Anyway, I was going to ask you who's the goddess that this ceremony is for? You haven't told me yet." Hermes smacked his face at his ignorance, "How could I have forgotten to tell you! Ugh, I'm such an idiot! Well, to answer your question the goddess is Persephone, daughter of Demeter. Although Demeter stubbornly refuses to call Persephone by her real name and instead calls her Kore." Hades frowned. Kore... why does that name sound so familiar? He thought. Hades couldn't seem to remember exactly where he had met Kore, if he even did that is. All he could remember from his encounter with Kore was sunburn and a long lecture. "Can I leave now?" Hermes asked, interrupting his chain of thought. Hades waved vaguely and settled into his throne to continue his judging, all thoughts of Persephone gone.
Persephone's POV
"KOREEEEEEE HURRY UP AND GET READY OTHERWISE YOU'LL BE LATE TO YOUR OWN CEREMONY!" Demeter thundered at me as she stuck her head into my room. "Isidora!" I yelled after mum had popped out of my room. My nymph maid appeared in my room in a flash of green and started to get me ready. "Put this on. NOW!" She ordered as she handed me a beautiful white dress. I put the dress on and marvelled at how nice it looked in the mirror, floating magically around me in waves of white silk. Isidora started pulling a brush through my hair and adding flowers into it. She was chattering to me about all the latest gossip that she had heard from the other nymphs.
I emerged out of my room thirty minutes later after receiving a full Isidora beauty treatment with complementary gossip. "Thanks dear!" I shouted as I ran out of the door. Mum was waiting outside the house already and when I saw her, I started to briskly walk in the direction of Zeus' main throne room which would be the venue of my ceremony and after party. Mum didn't seem to be following so I stopped and turned around to face her, "Mum, what are you doing? We're going to be late!" She smiled cheerfully and started laughing. "Kore, you didn't think that I would let you WALK to the ceremony in that pretty white dress did you?" She cracked up laughing again when she saw my confused face. "Silly Kore." I rolled my eyes at the pet name which she STILL called me. Seriously woman, I'm twenty five! I'm not a 'little girl' any more! I thought exasperatedly. "Well, if we're not walking, how are we supposed to get there mother?" I asked her as sweetly as possible. "Apollo is taking us in his sun chariot!" She said cheerfully and started waving like a maniac as she saw Apollo approaching. "HELLO APOLLOOOOOOOOOOO!" She yelled. I mentally groaned. Mum was trying to match me up with Apollo again! Sure, Apollo was pretty hot but I didn't think of him that way. After all, we were only childhood friends! Mum was already in the chariot chatting away with Apollo so I power walked over to chariot and got in. "Hey Polly!" I chirped as I greeted Apollo. Polly was an old childhood nickname that I called him which he playfully pretended to be annoyed at. "You look dazzling Perse, almost more than me!" He winked at me playfully and I laughed whole heartedly. Apollo was always pretending to be the 'beautiful vain' one as a joke. The mortals on earth seemed to think that out of all the gods, Apollo was the handsomest, but that was a silly belief. All the gods were "beautiful", it just depended on your taste as to who was the "handsomest". Apollo shook his reigns and the golden white horses started to gallop towards Zeus' palace. We started to catch-up (as I had not seen Apollo for thirteen years because of duties) and I saw out of the corner of my eyes mum smiling like she was watching a romantic play. I could practically see her 'aww'-ing at us. We finally approached Zeus' palace and Apollo helped me get out of the chariot. "Thanks Polly" I smiled at him and I could see mum having another 'aww' moment. She was clasping her hands to her chest and she was murmuring "aww, they're made for each other!" with a content smile on her face. We made our way into the hall chatting still but then I was attacked by somebody. "PERSEEEEEEEE! I MISSED YOUUUUU! " the person shouted gleefully. Ah, of course! It was Hermes! He was another one of my chums along with Apollo. "Hermy! It's good to see you! How's being messenger going?" I asked. "Oh it's WONDERFUL! There's so much rushing around and I get to know lots of what's going on!" Words rapidly poured out of his mouth but then he was interrupted by Eros grabbing me and lifting me up into the air in a bone-crushing hug. When he put me back on the ground I muttered a breathless "Hi to you too Eros." Artemis, Athena and Hebe arrived whilst we were all chatting and they pulled me into a group hug. "Ngaw shucks! I wish I was part of that group hug!" Hermes fake sniffled as he wiped a pretend tear from his eye. We all burst out laughing and Athena pulled him into the hug. We stopped hugging each other and moved to the centre of the room so we would be out of the way of the door. "Ooh, I have to announce that your ceremony is about to begin Perse! AHH! I'M LATE!" Hermes exclaimed as he scurried of to the raised, and very large, podium on the other side of the room. "The Coming of Age ceremony is about to begin. May everyone go to their assigned seats please?" Hermes announced sounding very professional. Whoa, what a transformation. I was a bit confused however. Where in the world am I meant to go? Mum didn't mention ANYTHING! I was shocked out of my mental rant by Hermes mentioning my name. "May the Lady Persephone go outside? You are meant to enter with the official party." He probably saw my confused face. I breathed a sigh of relief and went to exit the throne room.
I saw my father, Zeus, waiting outside with two other men who I could not yet identify. "DADDY!" I yelled as I leapt into his arms.
"PERSY!" He chuckled and hugged me. I inhaled and smiled contentedly as I breathed in my father's familiar "just rained" smell. I turned around and looked at the other two gods. "Persy, this is your uncle Poseidon" He motioned with his hand towards the tanned man on the left holding a trident. He had seaweed, seashells and a whole lot of other random things in his brown hair and beard and on his peplos. I hugged him and inhaled a salty sea smell. "Nice to meet you Uncle Po!" He chuckled, a deep rumbling sound, and admired me. "My my little Kore is all grown up! Last time I saw you, you were such a tiny little thing!" He smiled and passed me back to my dad. "And this is your uncle Hades." He motioned to the ebony haired god standing next to uncle Po. Unlike my father and my uncle Po, Hades was beardless. I gasped. HADES WAS THAT GOD I MET IN MY SECRET GLADE! THE SUNBURNT ONE! Oh, he looks WAY better when he isn't sunburnt!I saw the look of recognition in Hades' eyes. He held out his hand for me to shake, so I took it somewhat timidly. Dad and Uncle Po looked at each other trying to contain they're laughter. "Persy, you don't need to be scared. Uncle Hades is actually quite a nice person! Just because he's the Lord of the Underworld, doesn't mean he'll kill every single living thing under the sun you know!" I mentally face palmed. They thought I was scared of Hades because he was the Lord of the Underworld where all the dead reside. Oh, how wrong they were... My trail of thought was interrupted as Hermes opened the door to the throne room. "It's time Perse!" He announced gleefully. He and all my other friends had all already had they're coming of age ceremony's because they they were all within two to four years older than me. Dad took my hand comfortingly and whispered "It's going to be fine Persy!" and then led me into the throne room with Hades and Poseidon behind. I was led up to the raised dais which was in the centre of the throne room. Hebe was waiting for us already holding her golden cup of nectar and plate of ambrosia to make me young and immortal. I had climbed the steps of the dais and Hermes was now reading through the rites. "Do you Zeus, Lord of the Skies and King of the Immortals grant immortality for eternity for Lady Persephone, daughter of Demeter and maiden of the flowers?" Hermes asked my dad. "Yes, I Zeus Lord of the Skies and King of the Immortals grant immortality for eternity for Lady Persephone, daughter of Demeter and maiden of the flowers with the power that has been vested in me." And so it continued on until all of the 'Big Three" had stated that they were letting me become immortal. It was quite a bore, I was just standing there on a raised dais in front of all the gods of the pantheon doing nothing.
Hermes had finished reading out all of the necessary rites and passages and whatnot, so now it was time for me to drink the nectar and eat the ambrosia. Hebe walked over with the cup and plate and I curtsied as was necessary. "I, Lady Hebe of eternal youth, by the power vested in me grant you immortality and eternal youth. Drink from this cup and eat from this plate, and begin your new life of immortality." Hebe said. I took a sip of nectar and ate a spoonful of the jelly like ambrosia. Phwoar, it tastes AMAZING. Mmmmm... I could just eat this ALL day...
A strong hand gently shook me out of my reverie. Holy shoot, did I just stand in front of the whole pantheon drooling about how good the nectar and ambrosia tasted? I rapidly blinked and looked at all the other gods and goddesses seated. They all seemed to have a knowing smile on their faces like they had done what I did as well. I blushed a cherry tomato red and mentally reprimanded myself for being such a fool. Dad's voice interrupted my chain of thought. "I introduce to you now, the Lady Persephone! Let the celebrations begin!" There was an ear-splitting cheer as the assembled gods and goddesses hooted. Tonight was going to be a night of partying hard and getting drunk, Olympus style.
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Love
-Leelaaaaaaa