Hey, lookie this! An update? With the new chapter being less than two weeks old? IMPOSSIBLE! Sorry, I just had to say that. Alright! We're finally getting somewhere in this story, we're on the climb back up and for once this isn't a horribly depressing chapter. I actually had some fun writing this one, oh and Persephone's secret is finally revealed at the end of the chapter! Oh and I'm incorporating some more of the ancient myth, of course with my own little twist on it ;) Alright, I'll stop babbling, enjoy! This chapter's shout out goes to: HopeInHell. Thanks everyone!
For the longest time I just held Achlys in my arms. I had never seen her so shattered, so fragile; clearly her sister had meant a lot to her. Achlys was never openly affectionate, not one to hug everyone or cry in front of people, but these were difficult times. Slowly her tears dried and she leaned against me, I was surprised how light she was, even though she was only a little bit younger than I was.
"Persephone? Persephone who is this, what's going on?"
I turned my head and looked up my mother, her brow was furrowed and I knew she was trying to figure out which of the villagers I was holding.
"Mother, this is Achlys, the first daughter of Hades. Achlys, this is my mother, Demeter."
Obediently, Achlys stood up and bowed from the waist. "It is an honor to meet you, Lady Demeter."
Mother stood dumbfounded, speechless and confused as to why I was sitting with a daughter of the man who kidnapped me and why she was so polite.
"I know some explanations are in order," I said. "So why don't we go back home. Father needs to hear this, too, and I'm not going to send Achlys home just yet. Her sister, a close friend of mine, just died." I stood up and wrapped my arm around Achlys shoulders and she wearily leaned her head back against me.
Mother pursed her lips, clearly thinking it over. I could see the argument going on in her mind, the scales tipping from side to side. Finally she decided that the risks were minimal and sighed. "Come on, we're leaving. You too, demigoddess."
***
We were silent on the ride back up to Olympus; Achlys stood behind me and silently took in the sights of the sky. It occurred to me that she hadn't been above ground since she was little and I wished I could have shown her more and talked about what she was seeing, but I could tell that my mother was just being polite in front of our guest. To Achlys' credit, once we reached Olympus she looked on with silent awe and didn't make a fuss, even though it is the most splendid sight for anyone to behold. I was just about to direct Achlys off towards the garden when Aphrodite came rushing up.
"Persephone, good, you're back. I have something to – oh, hello, Achlys." Achlys bowed again and politely said hello to Aphrodite who took one look at Demeter's strained face and my pleading eyes and took the demigoddess by the hand. "Hey, you look like you need some new clothes. Why don't we go see what I can whip up for you?" Aphrodite led Achlys off to her temple and I knew she was in good hands. I mouthed a silent thank you as my mother grabbed me by the wrist and began dragging me through the streets of Olympus.
"That is it, Persephone. That was the last straw. I was willing to hear you out about Hades before, maybe talking about it would help you realize that he's really a bad man who abducted you, but now, now I'm never letting you out of my sight. You say he's a good man but then suddenly his daughter shows up battered and hurt and saying that her sister is dead?"
"Mother, listen to me! I don't know how Calantha died but I can bet you that it was because of-"
"Now we'll have none of that! He is dangerous and he's not to be let near you again. He is banished from Olympus; we'll figure out something for the solstices but I will never let him near you again."
"You're not listening! It must have been Aiakos; it had to be because of him."
"Oh, I'm not listening? Really? Because it seems like you aren't listening because you're acting like a five-year-old."
"Maybe I'd stop acting like a five-year-old if you would just stop treating me like one!"
"Well if you're going to keep acting like a child you might as well look like one, too." Demeter kept pulling me along and suddenly my body began to shrink. Normally gods control their own appearance but they can alter the appearances of others, though it works best when they are related. If the god or goddess is powerful enough, like, oh say, my mother, then it can be near impossible to undo yourself. So I was completely helpless as she shrunk me down and dragged me off. My dress pooled around my feet and was quickly left behind.
"Hey," I protested in a much higher, squeakier voice. I kicked and screamed for Aphrodite to bring me some clothes. I caught a glimpse of her blonde head peeking around a corner up ahead and the next thing I knew I was in a simple white tunic and skirt. Finally my mother dropped me in the middle of the pavilion that held the Olympian thrones.
"Zeus, I am forbidding that god to ever come near our daughter again. He's a danger and a menace."
"I must say I agree," father said, his eyes steely and dark. "I told him that he could marry Persephone but that was before this disturbing display. Clearly he is unstable and shouldn't be allowed near anyone."
"He's already killed one of his daughters and one of them barely got away."
"He didn't kill Calantha!"
"Then who did?"
"I don't know but it couldn't have been Hades, not entirely. He would never lay a hand on either of his daughters. I know for a fact that Achlys was hurt by Aiakos. He-"
"Aiakos? The gatekeeper? What does he have to do with this," father demanded.
"He tried to kill me!"
"What," mother shrieked. Her face was bright red and stalks of grain were popping up around her, wrapping around anything they could reach and squeezing it tightly. "Persephone the underworld is no place for a flower like you and Hades should have known that. To think that he was going to have you killed. Maybe that wasn't his plan to begin with but I bet you that once he found out that we were searching for you he tried to kill you and then had to kill his so-called daughters to cover his tracks." She screamed in rage and grain shot everywhere, everyone ducked, not wanting to turn into a plant or become a very leafy god. "The nerve of him."
"No that's not-"
"I can't have this go on. Serious punishment is in order," mother said, turning to father for his opinion.
He nodded gravely and turned to the other Olympians. "Brothers, sisters, it is time. We must pass judgment upon our brother, Hades. All in favor of death say aye."
"No," I shrieked. "No, you don't understand! Wait," I rushed forward and beat at the legs of my mother and father. Slowly gods and goddesses were raising their hands in favor of death for Hades. "Wait, please! Listen to me! You can't kill Hades, please. You can't do that."
"Why not," mother yelled, shoving me away from her. "You of all people should be the one advocating death, after all he put you through and-"
"You can't kill him because-"
***
They would ban him from Olympus, would they? Well too bad because he was determined to get up there one way or the other. He would sort things out with Persephone, even if it meant them parting ways forever. At the very least he could say he was there to find Achlys. He knew where she was, of course, and he had known the moment she left his realm, but he didn't stop her, she needed to do this now, to seek this comfort on her own.
He pushed through the bushes and shrubs, past shy nymphs and giggling dryads. She must be around here somewhere, he thought. He wandered into a clearing and stared up at the sky. Just about a mile into the distance glimmered a rainbow and he knew that was where he would find her. He pressed on eagerly when he felt a pair of small hands pulling on his arm. He spun around, his dark hair whipping about him and his red eyes flashing in the sunlight. She was slim, tiny, and looked to be only about sixteen mortal years old. Yet there was something immortal about her, something in the way she held herself and the way her eyes flashed that said she was not as she appeared. Her hair was a shimmering white-gold color with the slightest tint of green in it. Her skin was lightly tanned but still no darker than Persephone's had been even after months underground.
The thought of Persephone had his heart twanging and his muscles twitching and eager to run. "Yes," he nearly growled. "What do you want?"
The girl seemed unaffected by his rough attitude. Her ample chest was squeezed into a tiny, skin tight dress with short sleeves and a choker-style neck but with a large bubble to show off her delicate chest. She pulled her shoulders back and pushed her arms a little closer to her body as if trying to capture Hades' attention with her chest. It didn't work. Hades checked the rainbow to make sure it was still in the same spot and then looked at the girl with no small amount of irritation in his eyes. The dress was light green with yellow embroidered swirls and flowers and fit tightly over her hips but then exposed nearly all of her lower half save for a small curtain that fell to the ground in between the front of her legs and a larger curtain around the back of them.
"Well, its not too often I see someone like you wandering around somewhere like this," she began.
Hades held up a hand. "I'm sorry, there's someone else I'm in love with, and in fact I'm on my way to see her now if you don't mind." Hades turned on his heel and started to stride away but the girl was fast.
"Oh but you must be unsure about her if you're lost in these woods."
"Who ever said I was lost," Hades growled, he was quickly losing patience with the girl.
"I can see it in your eyes. You're lost, and you need someone to comfort you."
Hades cracked a small smile. "You know, I think you're right." The girl beamed up at him. "Why don't I go find her?" Hades stepped around the girl again but she was still too quick for him. She pressed herself up against him and forced Hades to backtrack.
"You're stronger than the other men," she said. "But no one had been able to withstand this." She pulled something at the back of her dress and it all came crumbling to the ground. And there she stood in nothing but her skin staring up at Hades who barely gave her a glance. Taking a wide step to the right he moved away and started again towards the rainbow. The girl screamed in frustration as Hades passed and then again in agony. Hades whirled around and where the girl had stood only a moment ago there now sat a small green leafy plant and a stalk of Demeter's grain.
Hades recognized the attack and knew that the girl would be forever imprisoned in that form. He bent to examine the plant and realized it would need a new name. After thinking it over he smiled and whispered, "MINT" into the leaves of the plant. They rustled with an otherworldly power and then lay still. He chuckled to himself. "MINT stands for Most Irritating Nymph of all Time. He chuckled slightly at his own little joke and then turned to run through the forest again towards the rainbow.
Iris was perched on a rock, her gown of water droplets shimmering in a thousand different colors but hovering in place, never revealing anything of the goddess. "I saw what you did back there," she said, her voice serious.
Hades held her gaze, his deep red eyes never leaving her deep blue-grey ones. "I have nothing to hide," Hades said. "I was coming here to meet you and I encountered some feisty little immortal girl. She continued to pursue me and I continued to step aside and move away from her."
Iris saw the truth in his eyes and a faint smile crossed her pale pink lips. "Ask me, Hades, God of the Dead."
Hades bent to his knees and looked up. "Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow and Messenger to the Gods, please, take me to Olympus, take me to my goddess."
Iris' face glowed as her smile spread. "I thought you'd never ask," she said, her eyes twinkling.
***
Once Hades arrived on Olympus, thanks to Iris's secret entrance, he headed straight towards the Throne Room. His eyes were rising to a dangerous red, he knew what must be going on up here; there was no other reason for his banishment. He pushed open the doors with a roar and they crashed against the pillars that surrounded the room.
"Zeus," He yelled, striding forward. "Demeter! I have something to-" he was just rounding the corner of the large fountain in the center of the room. He could see a little girl dressed in white on the other side of a thin curtain of water.
Suddenly she screamed something that nearly stopped Hades' immortal heart, her voice high and distorted but unmistakably familiar. It was Persephone. Hades felt the room swaying and then suddenly everything was wet and dark.
***
"-I'm pregnant," I yelled my voice high and distorted. I turned to the side a bit and lifted the hem of my tunic to reveal my gently bulging belly. It hadn't been long and I had only just begun to show so it was understandable that no one had noticed, well, almost no one. It felt strange to be announcing something this monumental while in the body of a five year old. Suddenly however I felt a jolt of energy pass through me and I returned to my regular size. Thankfully my outfit had enough elastic not to pop right off of my body, instead it was stretched and tight but it still managed to cover my chest and was hugging my hips. Now my belly was a little more pronounced and the Olympians continued to gape.
Suddenly behind me there was a loud crash and a splash as something landed in the fountain. Startled I screamed and tipped backwards into the fountain. I gasped from the sudden cold but quickly forgot the cold. I rushed through the curtain of water and splashed towards the foreign object. I gasped again as I recognized Hades lying facedown in the water.
"Hades," I yelled. "Hades!" Tears sprang to my eyes and I grabbed his shoulders, hauling him out of the water and holding him close to my chest, brushing the water off his face and watching him intently for his breathing to resume. He coughed a few times and then his eyes opened and found mine. "Oh Hades," I whispered, holding him close to me. "I thought you were dead."