"Mama! Look!" Kore pointed to the little celebration happening down the hill. A beautiful woman in yellow peplos walked towards the regal man wearing a white chiton. They looked happy as an elderly man joined hands with the younger man, after which the latter joined hands with the woman. "What are they doing mama?"
"A wedding, my curious child," Demeter smiled as she explained.
"What's a wedding?"
"Hmm…it's an agreement between the father of the woman and the suitor of the woman where said woman is no longer the father's but the suitor's."
Kore nodded and tried to understand as best she could. She fell silent as she carefully observed the married couple. "Are they happy mama?"
Demeter's smile faltered for a moment. "I sure hope so, child. But it's something I hope you will never undergo because," she knelt down, placed her daughter in her lap, hugged her tightly, and sighed deep in thought, "though the woman may be smiling now, I do not think there is true happiness in marriage…"
888
When one is suddenly kidnapped, cruelly torn from everything familiar and, three hours later, prepared for marriage, one cannot help but lose touch of reality and shut down. That was Kore during the entire ceremony. She couldn't quite believe the succeeding events to be real. Not to mention, none of it seemed real in the first place.
She felt like a third person possessing a body that's not really hers and watching safely through a window. She marched blankly down that 'masquerade ball' of a hall – filled with shadow-clad immortals, their cold mask-like faces fixed with contemptuous leers, derisive sneers, and mocking or otherwise hard smiles – like it was the most natural thing in the world. She seemed unwelcomed enough.
When she was upon the pedestal of the thrones and Hades took her hand, his eyes slightly wakened her, his dark gaze too intense to be an illusion. However the visitation of the Fates brought another level of unrealism to the situation and shocked her brain back into a state of non-responsiveness again. Who would actually believe that the Great Fates, the ones not even the 'great king' Zeus could go against, stood in front of her and blessed her? The Great Weavers of the Cosmos, who was widely believed to control the destinies of all whether mortal or immortal, that only her 'great father' had seen, had been three inches away from touching her. She never thought she'd meet deities as powerful as them in her lifetime, as insignificant as she was in the hierarchy of immortals, yet she did, which quite frankly left her in a state of utter disbelief.
But what truly woke her though and shattered her self-imposed, sanity-preserving daze and told her that she wasn't dreaming was the 'merrymaking'.
She didn't hear Tartarus' version of merrymaking, thanks to Erebus, but then paid more attention to her surroundings after the silencing of the hysterical, shouting nymphs. Though even if the god of darkness didn't cover her ears, it wouldn't have mattered because she couldn't put meaning behind the words 'gore' or 'blood' or 'wails and screams of agony' that the gods and goddesses so love to repeat anyway. Except for blood, none of those words were in her vocabulary. In fact, she was so innocent she couldn't comprehend brutality, period. And for a goddess who never saw violence in her life, who has never been hit, and whose only injury were childhood falls when she tripped when she ran too fast, the gruesome images painted by the chthonic deities flew over her head (or was rather automatically censored in her mind).
It was the subsequent ones, the milder ones, the ones that she could actually imagine (the ones that the rest of the chthonic immortals jeered for being insipid) that numbed her feet and hands; that slowed her blood in its tracks; that sent her heart racing; that made her feel sick; that pooled her saliva in her mouth; that sent chills running up and down her spine one after the other and make her break out in cold sweat.
"Making mortals laugh so uncontrollably hard they suffocate and die in their horrible mirth…!" someone said jovially followed by snorts and snickers of contempt.
She shivered once more, her face turning green. She liked laughing. And using laughter as a means for suffering made her feel very, very scared. She felt as if one of her joys in life was being twisted into a monster. She didn't understand. She was smart and intelligent yet she didn't understand how anyone can inflict hurt and suffering to others and laugh at it as if it were the funniest thing in the world. Her innocent heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds with every word they said.
Five minutes through the 'merrymaking' Kore was crying.
So far her impression of the Underworld had fallen so low it might have hit rock bottom. She felt as if she were surrounded by monsters – monsters with evil eyes, evil laughter, evil thoughts and evil deeds. She felt like she was sitting in the throne of Kingdom Evil and the one sitting imposingly right beside her was their Dark King Evil – like those villains from her mother's stories. He was the king of all that was bad, fearsome, terrible, horrible, awful etc. And she's actually married to him! Betrothed by her FATHER! She didn't know which fact was worse. She didn't know what the consequences of marriage were, or what marriage even meant, but she could guess (or rather had a feeling) that they were bad. What she did know for certain was that she did not want to stay here. She needed to get out.
888
Hades was partially listening to the crowd and partially rewiring his brain. There was something wrong with him. Why was he so affected by the woman sitting one foot right of him? There must be something more than Eros' arrow beguiling him. It wasn't like him at all to lose all his senses, in fact that was the exact opposite of 'like him'. He needed to figure out his 'ailment' (which he was certain was not love) and for that he needed his wife's cooperation. When he turned to look at said wife, he immediately noted the large droplets of water falling on her white, tightly curled knuckles. And just like sand slipping through his fingers, he lost his senses again.
He immediately stood up, made a speech about how he was grateful to the guests for attending the wedding and for 'putting up with his selfishness', and graciously, politely dismissed the crowd. Their wedding celebration lasted for eleven minutes and thirty-two seconds (most awkward and shortest in ancient history). Then he grabbed Kore's hand and dragged her into the deeper parts of the palace.
Tartarus nudged his twin brother, wiggled his eyebrow suggestively and said with a lewd smile, "I told you, he's very fast. Shall we?" he pointed to where his nephew disappeared.
888
Kore followed Hades unsteadily, her feet still feeling a bit cold and numb but she followed him without protest – anything to get her out of that roomful of evil. They didn't speak a word to each other until they reached her room. When they were inside, she mechanically walked to her bed and flopped down, staring blankly on the floor.
Hades knelt before her and tenderly lifted the veil, thus officially ending the wedding ceremony.
When he saw her tears still rolling down her face, it jolted him. Her once lively and colorful face now looked empty and ashen as if locked in a cold trance.
"It is finished," Hades said not really thinking about what to say. He just needed to say something to put back some life into her.
She looked down on him and asked, "What does that mean? Can I go home now?"
"…no," Hades replied, killing her hopes before she could even hope.
"I knew it," she whispered. "You kidnapped me and turned me prisoner." Fresh tears started rolling down her face once more, "I don't like it here," she sobbed. "Everything, everyone frightens me." Especially you, she added mentally.
"I-," Hades stopped. What can he say? He very slowly, very reluctantly, brought his hand to her face and wiped her tears away. It was such a rare and tender gesture from him, a gesture he thought he'd never be capable again since he sold his Being. But something about this stranger before him was making him feel kindness and concern once again. It felt…somewhat…natural? He wasn't sure. Since 'that incident', his behavior had always been controlled by manners, decorum and protocols. He might seem thoughtful but that was because he was a well-mannered emperor. But in front of her, he was remembering a lost feeling, his genuine feelings, as if he were being greeted by an old friend that had been gone for a long time.
Well that is until she slapped his hand away.
"Don't touch me," she whispered angrily. That's it. She couldn't take it anymore. She could only be pushed so far before she snapped. With him, her captor, alone with her in the silence of the room, she could once again think clearly. She wouldn't play the meek prisoner anymore. She was done.
Her fear had turned to anger.
She stood up and ripped the necklace from her neck, the chaplet from her head, all the nice and heavy stones that burdened her person and threw them all at Hades' feet.
Hades also stood up and looked at all the jewels broken and scattered on the floor and then back at her, his countenance as hard and cold as the precious stones. "What's the meaning of this, Persephone?"
"My name is not Persephone!" she screamed, her eyes screwed shut. "I do not know for what dark purpose you married me but you will not strip me away of my identity! I am Kore Carpophorus, daughter of Demeter and goddess of spring! I do not belong in the realm of the dead where life ceases to exist. I am not a slayer! In fact, I'm the complete opposite of a slayer! I create life! I do not want to be married to the master of darkness and death, to you!"
She opened her eyes again, inhaled raggedly and tried to catch her breath, then she whispered regretfully, "I wish I never met you." She tried to walk past him and out the door when Hades suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"Where do you think you are going?" he asked coldly, still looking straight ahead and away from the angered goddess.
"To the Upperworld," she replied, trying to pry his grip away.
"You won't be going anywhere."
"I can and I will!" she shook her hand in desperation. "Let go of me!"
"Listen!" Hades growled, turning around and grabbing her arms, pulling her closer to him. He would never admit it but her words hurt. Her rejection might as well have been a hard slap on the face. But he will not tolerate such…such…insolence! "I'm already your husband and you are already my wife! Your being queen has already been blessed by the Fates! Do you think you can fight your Fate?!"
"You kidnap me from my mother and you make me your prisoner! I rather be obliterated than be made a Slayer, you evil monster! I-I," Kore stuttered, her feelings were overflowing yet even then she had to hesitate before saying such a cruel word. Never in her life had she thought she would feel such an intense dislike for one person but she was feeling it now. And if she wanted to convey her feelings precisely, she needed to use it. "I hate you," she spat like a curse. It didn't feel good to say such a word. In fact, she felt dirty saying it.
This time Hades couldn't fully hide his feelings and Kore saw it in his eyes that she hurt him. She immediately felt bad and wanted to apologize for saying such a thing but before she could even open her mouth, he threw his head back and laughed derisively, "What a coincidence. I hate you too." As he said that, one could almost hear the walls being built around their hearts as both of them tried to protect themselves against the barbed words. But Hades was not yet done. He had a lot of grievances bottled up and he idiotically thought that the wedding night was the perfect time to let it all out.
"I hate you for invading my thoughts, for haunting my every waking moment, for beguiling me with your eyes, for enchanting me with your beauty, for entering my heart so easily and inciting feelings that I didn't even ask for! You have somehow bewitched me, you wicked siren, and I'm becoming undone because of it!" he growled loudly.
Kore looked at him with shock. She didn't know what to say to that but she was sure none of that was her fault.
Hades took a deep breath and tried to calm his frayed nerves. When he opened his eyes, he looked at her with a piercing gaze, a wicked smile gracing his lips, "But fret not," he told her. "Because no matter how much I don't like you, I will keep you by my side. I will use everything in my power to make sure of it. I will never let you go, you can be sure of that. You will spend the rest of your eternity with me. You are mine!"
That did it.
Her grimacing face flushed in extreme anger. She could feel her blood rising to a boiling point, enough that she did something she never thought she was capable of doing.
She squeezed her eyes shut as she screamed, "I am not nor will I ever be yours!" at the same time she kicked him on the shin.
Hades schooled his face and movements as a sharp electric pain shot up from his leg. The most he showed was a slight downward twitch of the corner of his lip and a blink. In fact he managed to make a show that her kick was ineffective by stepping back and even laughing dryly, pointedly ignoring his throbbing leg. "But you already are. Welcome to the Underworld – my world. And I hope you enjoy your stay here forever, Persephone," he drawled, sweeping his arms and bowing mockingly.
He turned towards the door, his robes billowing angrily behind him with the quickness of his gait, making him look even more terrifying. With a wave of his hand, the door swept open as he brisk-walked past it and with the same wave of his hand, the door slammed shut with the ominous click of the lock. (Of course when he was out the door, he immediately – elegantly – rubbed his bruised shin).
Kore was sick of crying. She had never cried so much before in her entire life prior to coming here but that King Evil was just so mean. But even as tears fell from her eyes, she managed to stare at her foot, wondering if this appendage had a mind of its own to just simply fly off and kick someone.
AN: For those who asked, my cover picture comes from this wonderful manhwa called "Cavalier of the Abyss". The picture comes specifically from chapter 15: Door to Thanatos. Fitting isn't it?
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, let me know of your thoughts in the reviews :D (What you liked and didn't like). Thank you. See you next saturday!