Chapter Thirteen
It couldn't have been more than an hour later when Persephone found herself sitting in the gloriously bright golden throne room of Mount Olympus. Her eyes were dazzled by the colours and brightness; she had forgotten how overwhelming the home of the gods could be. She closed her eyes and buried her face in her hands, behind her, her mother clucked and ordered people to leave her be and give her some space. "Mother please, I'm fine!" She insisted fed up already of her mother watching over her constantly.
"Demeter! Give the girl some space." A thunderous voice roared making everyone jump to their feet. Somehow Persephone managed to stand up and curtsey to her father, King of the Gods, Zeus. "Persephone." He took her hand and kissed her forehead. "What's this I hear about you running away to the Underworld and marrying Hades?" He smiled at her and Persephone frowned.
"I did not run away father, he kidnapped me!" She looked around the room trying to locate Hades and found him standing beside a golden pillar looking lost. Her heart twisted at the sight of him looking so pitiful, so defeated. But only a little. She would not forget the misery he put her through, what he had forced her to do. She looked back at her father and blinked away tears. "I made it clear to him I did not want to marry him, I told him all I wanted was to come home!" Tears blurred her eyes but she blinked them back, she was standing in a room full of the greatest gods and goddesses and she could tell they would pass judgment not only on this matter but on her. They were judging whether she was worthy or just some lesser god barely better than a mortal. She would not cry and let them see her weakness.
"You see Zeus! She was forced! Annul the marriage!"
"It's not as simple as that Demeter. The marriage may have been forced but it was carried out, and knowing Hades – consummated." Persephone blushed but stared at Zeus as the others in the room looked between her and Hades. She felt violated at the thought that most of them were right now picturing her slender naked body beneath his much heavier muscled one.
"I want the priest who wed them! I want him here right now!" Demeter shrieked making Persephone flinch.
"Mother please, calm down – you know that is not possible. My head feels as if it might explode from being here, a mortals certainly would." She wasn't exaggerating when she said this, her head pounded from the dazzling colours that assaulted her vision. A human would not be able to look upon this without suffering such a severe headache, their head would literally combust. The thought made her shudder.
"Blindfold him then! It has been done before, I demand it done now!"
"Just give her what she wants Zeus, bring the priest." Hades said coldly glaring at Demeter. "She will not like what he has to say – his words will only confirm my marriage to Persephone, and then there is the matter of the pomegranate seeds." There was a hushed silence as Hades made this announcement, every eye in the room turned to look at Persephone.
"You ate?" Zeus asked horrified.
"No I –" Persephone shook her head and looked at Hermes for help. "Does it count?"
"I'm afraid it does...you did swallow the seeds after all." There was a silence where no one dared look anywhere but at Persephone.
"You ate food in the Underworld?" Demeter whispered horrified dropping the hand that had been holding her daughter's shoulder in support. "How could you be so foolish?"
"Summon the priest; I will hear what he has to say first although...with this new information Persephone..." Zeus looked at her sadly and she could guess what was coming. She would have to go back to the Underworld, but would it be as Hades' wife? What would the point in going back be if I am not? She looked at Hades and bit her lip, she had been falling in love with him...but how could he have done this to her? "Sit daughter, relax." Easier said than done. Persephone thought but she obeyed and sat down obediently. She looked down at her black clothing and shuddered; only she and Hades wore black. Her mother wore a deep forest green, Poseidon a toga of shimmering green and blue made to imitate his domain the ocean.
Within minutes Hermes returned with two woodland nymphs leading the blindfolded priest who had performed the marriage. Persephone was suddenly thankful that she had given this man her blessing – for although it would condemn her it would at least protect him. She looked down at the floor torn between blocking out the questioning and listening, she didn't want to hear her fate – but she couldn't run from it. Not now.
Zeus questioned the priest vigorously; as did Demeter who got a little too carried away sending the poor mortal into a frenzied panic. "Mother! Leave him be!" Persephone cried jumping to her feet. "This was Hades doing – the man is a priest at one of his own temples, of course he had to obey what his God said!"
"The goddess Persephone is indeed a great lady," the priest stammered. "She saw the predicament I was in even then, she gave me her favour." Persephone flinched as the priest held out his hand sending the familiar smell of berries and a summer night's storm. A golden rose glimmered above the priest's hand and began to fade until it had disappeared once more, taking the scent of summer with it.
"Very well...you may take the priest back." Zeus dismissed the nymphs and they led the still blindfolded priest from Olympus back to earth. Persephone met her father's gaze squarely as he looked down at her. "You claimed this marriage was forced...yet you gave the priest your blessing, and you consumed food? Not just any food but the seeds of a pomegranate!" Persephone bit her lip; she desperately wanted to protest but could see how childish her argument would appear. 'Hades made me do it'? Although true she didn't think it would go down too well.
"I wanted none of this father, please do not send me back there – I cannot possibly spend an eternity in the Underworld. It may not kill me but...I think I would rather die." She couldn't look at Hades when she spoke.
"Do you love him?"
"What?" The question caught her off-guard that she wasn't sure who Zeus referred too.
"Hades." Her father said impatiently. "Do you love him?" Persephone bit her lip in thought, which was clearly answer enough for him. "If you have to think about your answer then you must feel something for him. Persephone I'm sorry but I have no choice, you must return to the Underworld. Your marriage is legal and you are now bound there. However," Persephone looked up in hope as she heard that one word. "As you only ate three seeds I am willing to compromise...you will spend half the year with your mother, you can spend the summer months with her. But as soon as the first leaf falls you must return to the Underworld where you will stay until the first bloom."
"NO!" Demeter cried in anguish. "She cannot return!"
"It is law Demeter; your daughter is not exempt because of her status." Hades growled an ugly expression etched onto his normally handsome features. Persephone was glad that at least she would not have to return with him today – a fight would surely ensue.
"My word is final Demeter – be thankful she only ate three, any more and she could have been bound there permanently." With an angry curse Demeter left the mountain to one of her secluded spots. Persephone rolled her eyes feeling a wave of anger wash over her, how could her mother be angry when it was she who was being forced back to the Underworld?
"Does no one care what I think?" She asked bitterly standing up. "For a month I have been forced to do what someone else wants me to do, and now you're deciding where I shall spend my time? What about what I want?"
"What you want is irrelevant my dear." Zeus said looking exhausted and Persephone came to realise her father had known her whereabouts for quite some time. "I have made my decision and it is final." She looked over at Hades who looked a little pleased with himself, some of his smug arrogance was beginning to creep back into his personality. He had gotten what he wanted – partly, but she could tell he was pleased at not having lost her completely. Like it or not she would be going back to his domain.
"I shall never forgive you for this!" She said to him and stormed from Mount Olympus back to her quaint cottage in the woodlands where she cried herself to sleep.