Chapter XII

By the time the gods had arrived in the underworld, everything was in chaos. All the shades were walking around in chains and the barrier on Tartarus was broken and the evil were roaming free. It had turned back into the horrible place it was before Hades's rule. The gods blended in as chained shades to sneak into the Asphodel Fields as Cerberus lead.

"Lord Zeus?"

A small female voice whispered to them. It was the servant girl Sisyphus murdered three weeks ago. She motioned the gods over to her and they hid behind a rock with her. Next to her was Persephone, flustered but otherwise unharmed. Light returned to Demeter's eyes

"Kore!" Demeter whispered, "I thought I'd never see you again!"

Demeter hugged Persephone, tears of relief and joy streaming down her face.

"Mother, I'm fine."

"Without Hades, the shades of Tartarus have gone wild." Said the servant girl.

"Get down!" Whispered Apollo. "Someone's coming!"

Everyone ducked down as Sisyphus walked past with a group of shades. They were leading Hades, Thanalos, Hypos, and Hermes to the palace in chains. Persephone cried when she saw her husband-to-be being lead away and there was nothing she could do.

"Let's get him!" Ares tried to charge out, but Zeus stopped him.

"Stop, son. We can't raise suspicion with an open attack."

"Alright then," Said Ares, "What's the plan to get past him?"

"We need to create a diversion." Said Athena.

Raidne and her sisters smiled. "I think we're better suited for this job."

The sirens sneaked over to another rock and began to sing to a vibrant harmony. At once, Sisyphus and the shades fell under the spell of the siren's voices. They dropped the chains and stumbled across the fields towards the sirens. Hades, Thanatos, Hypos, and Hermes also tried to go after the sirens, but their chains stopped them. The other gods (except Apollo, of course) were protected by their beeswax earplugs.

"So lovey..." Sisyphus sighed.

"It's so beautiful!" Chimed one shade.

The sirens started to fly away, still singing. Sisyphus and the shades went after them.

"Come back!" Cried Sisyphus. "I have to hear more music!"

More and more shades joined the line of the bewitched. By the time the sirens had left, hundreds and hundreds of shades where running after them, captured under the spell of their song. Most of the women and girl shades where staring at them, wondering who was singing and why all the men were acting so strange. Apollo got out from behind the rock and placed wax in the ears of Hades, Thanalos, Hypos, and Hermes. Hephaistos and Ares helped break their chains off. The four snapped out of their trances.

"Wh-what?" Hades clasped his head.

Apollo was appalled. "I didn't know that the sirens could charm the dead as well as the living."

"Hades, where is Cronus? Asked Zeus.

"He's on earth, now." Hades spat.

"Now that those shades are gone, let's get him." Said Ares.

Persephone started to follow, but then something started to happen to her. She felt so warm, so lightheaded, so strange. The others left without her as she stood in the underworld. A tingling sensation had moved up her arms and legs. Then it moved into her body and head. Her body seemed to be glowing as energy she never felt before raged throughout her body. She felt like she could grow more than flowers and bring the dead back. Persephone didn't see the sirens coming up behind her and in their surprise, they stopped singing.

"Persephone?" Asked Raidne.

Sisyphus and the shades snapped out of the siren's spell.

"You!" He yelled at the sirens, "You're going to-!

Sisyphus saw Persephone glowing as more and more magic entered her body.

"What in the name of-?"

Then she turned on him. She glared at him.

"You dared try to scheme with the titans and imprison my king?" She grimaced, "You will never be a god. I will see to it personally that you never hurt anyone else again."

Sisyphus pointed at Persephone. "Get her!"

The rogue shades ran forward, but then were knocked back by a blast of magic energy and all the evil shades were locked back in Tartarus. The chains on the innocent shades had snapped and fallen off. The dead cheered, ecstatic to be freed. The sirens where shocked that all this magic had been done by Persephone, no longer a child, but a full-fledged goddess with powers to be feared. Sisyphus saw this too and tried to flee, but then a magical force of pale green grabbed hold of him and floated him over to Persephone.

"Of course!" Said Himerope. "Persephone, you're eighteen!"

"Yes, I was born at moon high." Persephone turned to the shades. "All shades who had died from the frost in the last twenty days, come with me. And girls, tell my maids to change my dress."

The wind was bitter cold as Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades fought Cronus on the top of Mt. Olympus. For hour upon hour, they had all been fighting a mighty duel. Their weapons were still powerful, but they had grown so weak, they could barely keep up with him. The other titans were watching and taunting them, shouting how weak they were. The gods and goddesses were shouting words of encouragement. Athena was trying to give them advice on how to fight Cronus.

"You can't defeat me now, my sons!" Laughed Cronus, "I will gain back what is mine!"

"Cronus!"

Everyone looked to see Persephone standing at the side of a cliff with the sirens, her maids, and the people who died from the frost. She was now wearing a black dress with a red wrap and a silver diamond crown resting on her head. She truly looked like a queen. Behind her in chains was Sisyphus being escorted by the servant girl.

"Well, well," jeered Cronus, "It's Demeter's daughter. Have you come to see your king's demise?"

"No," Said Persephone. "Just fix what you caused."

She waved her hands and, in a shockwave of wind and light, the frost and ice all melted. The grass turned green, the trees grew their leaves back, and the farms and fields grew crops again. The rivers flowed and flowers bloomed. Then all the shades with her turned into whips and went into the ground. Soon giant flowers bloomed all over the earth and all the shades emerged from the flowers, alive and well. Families and friends rejoiced and cheered, crying praises to the gods. The animals had returned and frolicked in the fields and forests under the light of the moon chariot. The earth and all the victims of the frost had come back to life.

"What?" Cronus cried, "NO!"

The gods felt their powers returning, color and power returned to Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Zeus summoned a thunderstorm to knock Cronus down. Poseidon opened a chasm in the ground and Hades used his powers to push all the titans back into their prison. Then the ground sealed shut. Cronus was back where he belonged. Persephone threw Sisyphus off the cliff and she didn't need to see as a vine impaled him in the chest and he died a quick, painful death.