Kore—no, Aziraphale—wandered through the meadow, some anthusae and dryad following her. It had been about a thousand years since she stumbled upon the entrance to the Underworld, and even though she'd stuck to her promise, Aziraphale found it harder to let go of her curiosity.
Thymea, a dryad, suggested that maybe Aziraphale's curiosity kept growing because Demeter told six-year-old Aziraphale not to do something. "And no six-year-old wants to listen to their mother. Right?"
Aziraphale shot Thymea a half-hearted glare. "Probably. But I can't just leave my questions unanswered!"
Thymea's light brown ears perked up, and she flicked a strand of her olive blossom-riddled hair over her shoulder. "Well then, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt if you went back there for a few moments?"
Gatalea, one of the anthusae with Aziraphale, gasped loudly and glowered at Thymea. "It would hurt! Demeter forbid Kore from going back there, remember?"
Thymea rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to snap something but Aziraphale held up a hand to silence her. "Gatalea, Mother won't know. Besides," Aziraphale started to wring her hands, shifting lightly. "I won't go down there."
Gatalea crossed her arms and snorted but gave in. Aziraphale turned to go back into the forest before stopping and biting her bottom lip, chewing it lightly. She shook her head and started to swiftly walk back to Demeter's temple. Thymea ran after Aziraphale while Gatalea tapped her foot on the ground with narrowed eyes.
Demeter wouldn't find out, but she could. She was unusually perceptive with these things, and Aziraphale really didn't feel like angering her mother. And if Demeter found out, then she could tell Zeus and… Oh no, if Zeus found out, I'd never be able to go anywhere by myself again!
Aziraphale groaned and began pacing around. It was fine, she could just ignore the dull pull of the Underworld entrance. It would eventually go away, right? Hopefully. Besides, Aziraphale was the Goddess of Spring, and she was not one to willingly throw herself into danger. After all, she brought life to the mortal realm, she wasn't about to do something that would risk that.
Crowley paced back and forth in her throne room, black hair pulled out of her face. Behind her stood Thanatos, his large wings twitching slightly. A tendril of shadow reached out to still Thanatos, while another reached towards Crowley. The shadows formed the faint whispers of fingers, and from the mass of darkness by Crowley's throne came a deep, almost soothing yet icy voice. "My Lady," it rumbled. "Are you sure you felt the presence of life?"
Crowley turned her head to look at Erebus slowly. Her high cheekbones glinted sharply in the dull light of fire. "I felt it a thousand years ago, and I feel it again."
"What will you tell Zeus?"
Crowley's eyes flared and she whirled on the primordial god, bristling. "My brother will never know. He can't know. And before you ask, no, I'm not going to go searching for the source."
Thanatos stepped forward, pushing his father's grip off of him. He flourished his wings greatly and bowed to Crowley before shooting back up to his full height again. The death god looked down his nose at Crowley, which was a bit difficult considering she was nearly taller than him, and far more intimidating with her glares.
Crowley eyed him with careful disdain, but allowed Thanatos to speak. "With respect, this is the Underworld." Crowley narrowed her eyes, sneering lightly at the observation that was quite idiotic. As if she didn't know this was the Underworld. He has ten seconds to make sense before I throw him out. Erebus be damned. "Life isn't supposed to be anywhere near here. And it isn't supposed to be felt this deep down."
Crowley opened her mouth to reply snarkily, her canine teeth shining dangerously for a brief moment before Thanatos's words sunk in. Oh. Well, that is a good point. And then it dawned on her. She wasn't the god of death, she merely resided over the dead. So technically, Crowley could in fact feel life. She crossed her arms, cocking a hip. "Yeah, but I'm the oldest of the Olympians, and I can feel life. Unlike you," she poked his chest. "I'm not a death god. I just rule over the dead."
Thanatos narrowed his eyes, and raised an eyebrow. "You're not the only one who felt the presence of life."
Well, river styx. Crowley ran a hand through her hair, a few black strands falling loose. This was not going well, at all. What if Zeus or Poseidon were planning something? She'd have to strike back against her brothers. Then an even more haunting thought hit her. What if Demeter was up to something? No, that simply would not do. Finally, Crowley took a deep breath, straightening her posture. She fixed her stray hair and turned back to Thanatos and Erebus. "In that case, I suppose I should go to the surface."
Crowley grimaced lightly. The last time she'd been above ground, she'd gotten into a shouting match with Hera and Zeus. And Demeter accused Crowley of trying to kill her harvest. Which was totally unfair, considering Crowley really didn't care about crops and food. It wasn't of any interest to her. This was just because she was feared by the mortals, and the Queen of the Underworld, wasn't it?
Erebus's form finally stepped out of the shadows, his large dark figure looming over the Olympian. He was a mass of shadow and darkness, forming the faint outline of a human body. "If I were you, I'd be careful of being seen by Gabriel. He works for Demeter and despises the darker gods."
Crowley arched an eyebrow. "The darker gods?"
Erebus leaned down to Crowley's height, his grey eyes sparking lightly. "Us," he replied, voice washing over the entire throne room, calm like a predator watching its prey. "The primordial gods, the gods and goddesses of death and the dead." The outline of a twisted grin spread over his ghost-face. "After all, according to Gabriel, we are humanity's enemies."
Crowley summoned a navy blue head covering and wrapped it around her shoulders before pulling the veil up as a hood. "Then I'll avoid him at all costs. And Demeter too." She started walking away before stopping and turning back to Erebus and Thanatos. "While I'm gone, Hecate is in charge. Oh, and if Beezlebub comes by, send her to Nyx."
Erebus and Thanatos nodded and Crowley turned away, making her way to her chariot. If my brothers are up to something, then I swear on Rhea's memory, I will destroy them. She grabbed the reigns of Orphnaeus and Nyctaeus and nudged them into a run. For as long as she could remember, and ever since the end of the Titanomachy, life was not supposed to interfere with death. And death was not supposed to interfere with life. And so far, Crowley, Thanatos, Charon, and Hecate had kept their side of the deal. But with the amount of mortal consorts of Zeus appearing in the Underworld, Crowley wasn't entirely sure Zeus or even Poseidon (that wily urchin) were keeping their ends of the deal.
Well, actually… Zeus and Poseidon were not gods of life or fertility, but Zeus was the King, and her brothers could probably convince Phanes, or maybe one of the fertility goddesses to poke around near one of the entrances to the Underworld. And that simply would not do, especially if they were after some mistresses. Crowley narrowed her eyes. War with her brothers was not exactly preferable, but she needed to be respected, even if it meant invading their realms or overthrowing one of them.