A/N: I have reverted Crowley back to how he's described in the book, so he now has black hair and slightly darker skin. Also, I've taken artistic liberties with some things, and don't follow some of the mentioned legends to a t.
This chapter is a bit short, but they will get longer.
She crouched down in the meadow, cupping her hands in front of her, allowing the baby rabbit to hop onto the ground. "There you go," she whispered. "Don't get yourself into any more trouble."
The bunny blinked up at the young goddess before hopping away. "Kore, darling!" she heard Demeter call. "Don't go too far!"
"I won't!" She turned around and started wandering into the forest, following a trail of orchids and lilies mindlessly. As she got farther into the thicket, the sun started to fade, being replaced by long shadows.
The flowers wilted slightly and there was a slight chill in the air. Kore coiled into her blonde-white hair, eyes widening as she stared at a large hole. Thorns and brambles curled out of it, leading into a pitch black tunnel. She knelt down and cautiously peered into the hole, deliberating if she should go down or not.
But before Kore could do anything, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist and hoisted her upwards. Kore screamed as she spun around, kicking against the person behind her. "Kore," Demeter's sharp voice snapped, stilling her daughter. "What are you doing here?" she spat out the last word venomously.
"I'm sorry, Mother."
Demeter set Kore down on the ground and grabbed her hand tightly, starting to drag her away. Kore looked back at the hole one last time before looking straight ahead. Her heart pounded and her mind was alive with thousands of questions. What was that? And why is Mother so upset about it?
Demeter looked down at Kore, her brown eyes softened and she knelt down to Kore's eye-level once they were back in the safety of the meadow. She cupped Kore's face gently and smiled softly. "Darling, that was an entrance to the Underworld. You must never go there."
"Why not?" Kore's voice came out high pitched and squeaky.
"Because Lady Crowley is the queen, and she's a very dangerous god" At Kore's blank look, Demeter continued. "Mortals refuse to say her name, she's feared by not only all of Greece, but the Olympians and minor gods too."
Kore made an 'o' shape with her mouth and nodded. "I promise not to go back." But that's not true now is it?
"Good. Now come on, we have crops to harvest."
Kore reached up and took Demeter's hand again, looking back at the forest, in the direction of the Underworld. She'd heard Crowley's name before, but only in brief passing, and only from Zeus. The Queen of the Underworld surely wasn't that scary was she? As curious as Kore was, she wasn't one to disobey Demeter, and there was a dull feeling that Lady Crowley wasn't exactly a deity she wanted to get on the wrong side of.