The damp air washes over my body as I lay on the dewy grass. I watch the stars glimmer, far out of my reach. I reach my ivory arm upwards, and attempt to grab it, although in the back of my mind, I know it is far beyond my reach. I thirst for hegemony, so I may be able to join the exploding balls of heat. They are born in beauty- and die in it as well. Envy floods my body- why, how marvelous it must be to be a star! To be one with this very universe! Oh, how they seem to be so simple, but yet so complex! To watch the very earth itself, from a whole new point of view. Not only that, but stars do not need to worry. They already know of their destiny. To be their own; to learn how to shine in a self-pleasing way- not for others pleasure, but for their own. And when the time comes, they simply combust. Yet, their end is not morbid- it is in every form of the way, just plain lovely. Oh, how splendid it must be to be a star. As I lose myself in my thoughts, I do not notice the darkness beginning to fade, replaced with the rays of fresh new day. I snap back into concentration when I feel my skin grow hot. Squinting, I realize the night has been replaced with day. I stretch my lithe body out, feeling my joints groaning in protest. Lifting myself of the ground, I don't bother brushing the dirt off of my day old toga. I make my way back towards the cabin, putting the façade of naivety.
The cabin door is ajar when I come back. I push the smooth door back a bit farther, to make room for myself. "Mother?" I call out, my voice small and coarse from not being used. I clear my throat and call out the same word once more.
"In here!" She sings back, her voice high pitched and cheery. To high pitched and cheery, if you ask me. I narrow my eyes slightly, suspicion settling in. I walk my way towards the kitchen, the smell of warm bread assaulting my nose. My stomach grumbles, hungry and neglected from not being fed. I peek my head through the door frame, and see my mother setting delicious food on the counter. "I hope you're hungry," she cooed, "for I made us a special breakfast!" I step in, and grab the dishes, making my way towards the table. Setting it down, I walk back into the kitchen.
"Why are you making a 'special breakfast.' What are we celebrating for?" I look at her innocently, and make my almond eyes go wide. I part my pink lips, making my face look lost & confused. I see my mother hesitate, and hear a gulp slide down her strong neck.
"N-no reason at all! Can't a mother make breakfast for her beloved child!" With that, she makes her way towards the table, and sits down heavily on it, the sound reverberating throughout the ground. I look down towards the ground, angry for her dishonest reply. But, I wipe that expression clear from my face, and sit down on the chair opposite of her. We eat our breakfast in silence; although conversation was attempted on my side, trying to pry into her knowledge, she responded in short, clipped answers, thus ending all talk. An odd, unfamiliar air settled around the two, making Persephone jump her leg, anxious and uncomfortable. My mother sets her food down, and looks up at me. "Persephone, we will be going to Mount Olympus in three days. Pack heavily- we may be residing there for a while."
I look at her, and cock my head to the side. "Why? As far as I remember, nothing important seems to be approaching for at least another two months." My mother clacked her fingers against the polished table, her expression unreadable.
"Your father and I decided it would be best for you to be surrounded by gods for some time. You're becoming a grown woman Persephone- the gods influences would be a good one on you, since you yourself will be taking on multiple more responsibilities while you age. It is for the best." With that, she stands up, and walks away.
I look at her, livid. Sending death glares into her back, I screech, "THIS IS MY HOME. I WILL NOT GO! I REFUSE!" A horrible feeling settles into my gut- she was definitely lying to me now. My mother never wanted me to stay on Mount Olympus for longer than necessary. She wanted to raise me on earth, where the mortals lived(although, I myself was not allowed to see the creatures I hear so many speak of.) I had a horrible feeling that the reason I was to go was because of the conversation I heard my mother and Zeus having just the past night. My mother turns her body, so I can see her face fully. She looks regretful, and sorrow.
"You have no word in this. I am your mother, and I command you to do as I have said. Start packing. As I have said before, it is final." And with that, she exits the house. Little do I know, the moment she gets out of my peripheral vision, she begins to weep, for the soon to be loss of her only child.
I enter my room, leaving destruction in my wake. I throw open the door, the back of it clanging noisily against the wall. I pick up whatever I can get my hands on, and throw it around the room. I am a whirlwind, brewing distastefully for all that surround me. My lovely little plants cower from me, fearful of my sour mood. "I do not wish to leave!" I shriek, my arms flailing around me. My blonde hair is smacking all within its reach, for it is being rustled from my quick movements. I sit on the ground, and scowl, my facial expression looking frightening. My expression, no matter how ugly, never marred my beautiful face. A gift and a curse of being a god- you were born stark beautiful, the only exception to this being Hephaestus, god of metalworking. I run my fingers through my hair, a habit I did when I was either angry or nervous. I was doing so because of the former, but as I settled down, I continued to do so because of the latter. Why was I needed at Olympus? What is so important that they need me? I sigh, my head pounding, my brain hurting from my thoughts racing so quickly. I massage my temples, and get up off the soft ground. I make my way to my lovely little closet, and grab my nicest attire. I had three nice gowns, but the rest of my clothing was just everyday stuff. I didn't have a need for a whole entire wardrobe dedicated to events like this, because beforehand, I lived such a common life. Wake up, do chores, and run around, playing with the nymphs and the animals. I run my hands through my hair once more, before selecting sandals, clothing, and accessories to take with me for my stay at Mount Olympus. Afterwards, I sit down and mull over everything that's occurred this week, until I pass out from exhaustion.
My head cranes upwards as I admire the lovely structure of the main house, perched on the very top of Mount Olympus. The sun is golden, and the puffy clouds float on, without a single care in the world. I tug on my luggage, trailing behind my mother as she descends upon every golden stair, leading to an inevitable destination. My anxiety increases, and the world feels as if it's cornering me on every direction. My breath intake gets shallower and quicker as I step closer and closer to the main house. No no no! Right now is not the time for a panic attack! Save it for later! I chastise myself, as I approach the last few steps of the grand staircase. "PERSEPHONE!" A high male voice screeches. A blur of blue passes my eyes, and then I blink. Opening my eyes, next thing I see, is the world tilting upside down. I crash on the floor, and look at what the cause of such a thing was. Big baby blue eyes meet mine, and a sweet smile graces his childish looking face. His blonde curly hair completes the whole look. All in all, this man looks simply adorable.
"Hermes!" I squeal, and hold him tight in a hug. Hermes is closest to my age, being 21- which, is relatively close to my seventeen. His muscular arms wrap around me, and enclose me in his warmth. I breath in his scent- raspberries and mint; the same exact scent he had the last time I saw him, which was about 5 years ago. I look back on the last time we met, and hold back a chuckle, remembering an especially fond memory. Hermes had been my first kiss, and I had been his. We had always seen the adults doing it, and, out of mere curiosity, tried it out ourselves. It had been gross and slobbery, since we were both inexperienced. Not only that, but it was like kissing your brother. Thus, we had never attempted it again.
Hermes stood up, and gripped my hand, dragging me along with him. We share a smile, and walk hand in hand to where my mother was waiting, a bit miffed at my contact with a male. I secretly roll my eyes at Hermes, and he releases a small guffaw at my behavior. I wink, and look back towards my mother. I can feel my anxiety slowly start to fade away as I stand next to my ever loyal companion. He squeezes my hand, probably feeling my tense mood. I shrug lightly, hinting to him that I'll be fine. "So mother, what will we be doing now?"
She stares at me for a moment, her face falsely happy looking. "Well, I had figured we could settle in for now. The servants will drop off our food at dusk, and afterwards, we can get some rest. Tomorrow, you'll be free, whereas I'll be having a meeting with Zeus and," her voice goes low, so I cannot hear the words she says. She picks up her sentence halfway, concluding with, "So yes, you'll have the rest of the day tomorrow to be free and to socialize with your friends. Do attempt to greet all the gods you see- it would be disrespectful for you to not do so." I look at her incredulously.
I shake off the look, and laugh. "Mother I know, I know! We've been going through this since I was seven! I think I would've caught on by now!" A soft smile graces her face, and she reaches her arm up to ruffle my hair. I scowl, and swat her hand away. I attempt to fix my hair as she breathes out,
"Be good. I'll see you in a bit." And turns and walks towards her spacious room, always clean and eager to welcome her back home.
"Soooo…" Hermes begins, his voice light and carefree. "What do ya wanna do?" He twirls me around, and I feel as light as a feather. The ground disappears beneath us as he uses his little winged shoes to lift himself and myself upwards. I laugh heartily, and grip onto Hermes for "dear life", although, I know as an immortal, I cannot die. After a few moments of Hermes attempting to show off his dance moves, he settles me back down on to the ground.
I answer his prior question. "Well….you could always help me unpack?" Hermes makes a face of disgust at that one.
"Ew, no. Come on 'Sephone, let's have some fun! It's been years since we last saw each other!" He puts on a cute little puppy dog look. I swear, Hermes may be the older one, but he acts like a kid! I laugh, and shake my head slowly.
"Fine, fine! Just let me put my stuff in my room!" He shoots me a huge grin, and without warning, grabs all my luggage.
"Got it!" Hermes sings. He speeds inside, and out of my sight for a few seconds. I count to twenty inside my head, and right when I hit 17, Hermes appears right in front of me. I smile softly.
"You've gotten faster." I comment, tilting my head slightly to the left
"I've been practicing." He retorts, with a sweet smile of his own. "Now, come on. Let's explore your mother's gardens. I'm not allowed in there unless if she grants me permission, but if you come with me, I get an automatic free pass." Just as I open up my mouth to speak, he already has me by the waste, and speeds me towards the direction of the garden. My eyes widen- the garden has grown since I've last visited. My mother's garden was extensive; ranging from the common red roses to the rare Indian Mallows. This was one of my favorite places to relax in when I visited Mount Olympus; It was my mother's favorite place to relax in as well. This garden was so sacred to her, that if anyone intruded in on it without her permission, they would not hear the end of it from Demeter. Therefore, everyone stuck to their own territory, and, only if truly, direly needed, asked Demeter to grant them access to her garden.
My face lit up as I walked over to the little swing, swaying peacefully on the grand maple tree. This Maple Tree had been here for ages; literally. My mother built this garden thousands of years ago. This tree was the very first thing she planted, and she cherishes it, almost like how she cherishes me. She is very protective of both that tree and I, although, more so of me. I suppose it's because she raised both of us since we were tiny little things, and protected us, helping us grow into what we are today. I rested my soft skin against the rough trunk, our surfaces contrasting greatly. Although we are two separate beings, we can relate to one another.
"Persephone? Come over here!" I turn my skull in his direction, to see him waving a bunch of picked flowers. "Make me a crown of flowers like you used to!" I laugh, wondering how he always remembered the little things I'd always do. Hermes was like that- he focuses in on the details, rather than the whole picture. It's a quality I always envied him for. I glide effortlessly over the grass, and sit on the ground next to him. I braid the flower stems in and out as Hermes talks about zeus-knows-what. I tune in and out, catching bits and pieces of what he says. "…Fell down ten stairs….threw his mighty lightning bolt…..saved a doe by…" I nodded as if I were paying attention while actually focusing on creating a grand flower crown. I grin proudly as I finish, and hold it up in the air.
"I, Daughter of Persephone, goddess of spring, Daughter of Zeus, king of gods, and Demeter, goddess of agriculture, present to you…" I spring upwards, and place the crown upon his head. Hermes flits upwards into the air, knocking me off balance. He swipes the carefully placed crown off of his head, and holds it in front of him to admire it.
"Wow…..You've gotten better at doing this, 'Sephone." I shrug indifferently, but the light blush that appears on my face gives my happiness at his statement. He pokes me on my side, which makes me squeal.
"Hermes! You know how much I hate it when people do that!" A teasing look appears in his eyes, and he stares at me mischievously.
"I know! That's why I do it!" He tickles me some more, and, of course I retaliate, so we ensue a huge tickle fight. Afterwards, we relax, and merely enjoy one another's company. While I lay down next to Hermes, I forget that I need to be worried about something. I forget that something big is going on, and the horrible feeling in my gut had been numbed. I rolled over and looked at Hermes.
"Hey Hermes?" He turns his head to make eye contact.
"Yes sweetheart?"
"Do you know why I'm here?" I question him, hoping he'd know. Hermes tenses up, and looks away. His jaw clenches tightly, and he goes rigid.
"No idea." I can tell straight away that he is lying. I stand up straight away, and walk away from him, fuming.
"Persephone, wait! I can't tell you, I'm under strict orders!" I turn around swiftly, and snap,
"Yeah, well if you were my friend, you'd tell me anyway. I see where your loyalties lay." Hermes looks taken aback, and then projects the look of a man who was just slapped. I leave him in the garden, and make my way back to the main house….alone. As I walk back, dread fills me from my head to my toes. All I know is, whatever is happening, it's not good.
