There was not a sound from the house and Kore lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. After a few hours of tossing and turning, she fell into a restless sleep. She dreamt of endless avenues of escape from her lonely torment, none proved successful.
She awoke the next morning as the sun shone brightly through her open curtains. Kore dragged her tired body out of bed. She dressed in a daze pulling on her usual white dress and her green shawl over her shoulders. Without thinking, she slipped her drawing into her satchel. It seemed to be the only image that could calm her mind lately. Kore only fully awoke when she heard more than one voice downstairs.
"You are not to go beyond the bounds of our groves. Kore may not stay out past dark, and you are to ensure that she returns to me safely and on time. Do not let her hurt herself or anyone else. You are responsible for her, while she is out of my sight. Is this understood?" Demeter crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes blazed angrily.
Artemis did not flinch. "I understand Demeter. However, you need to understand that you won't be able to shelter her forever." Artemis sighed.
Kore crept around the corner into the kitchen, to see a goddess she did not recognize being commanded by her mother. She did not think too hard into it, as it sounded like her mother was going to let her leave of her own accord today, and she would not have to worry about her ever-watchful eyes. Though she worried that Demeter not being with her would make her be watched more closely.
"Good morning Mother." Kore tiptoed into the room, trying to maintain her neutral expression as she was not sure if she should have heard their conversation this morning.
Demeter said nothing but smiled warmly at her daughter and strode out of the room into her study.
Artemis stuck her hand out in between her and Kore. "Pleasure to finally meet you. I am Artemis, goddess of the hunt. You must be Kore." Kore looked nervously at the ground but nodded.
"Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you as well." Kore was not sure why Artemis was here, but it was clearly against her mother's wishes. Artemis glanced from her outstretched hand and Kore's hand which was anxiously twisting the strap of her satchel.
"Well where would you like to go?" Artemis dropped her hand to her side and turned toward the front door. "Today is all about you." Kore chuckled softly, not liking the attention being put on her. She had heard of Artemis from the nymphs she often accompanied, but she made sure to steer clear as her mother had told her to.
Kore took a deep breath and stepped out into their grove. "Actually, I'd like to see your favorite spots to relax." She not so secretly hoped that there was a place she had not discovered yet in all her years in this same little grove. Granted, it was not tiny, but there are only so many places to escape to when you spend years in the same area. Artemis glanced at her but did not question. She had also heard of Kore from her Retinue. She smirked to herself and led Kore to Kore's secret garden. Imagine her surprise when she had returned from Olympus meaning to relax and found Demeter's daughter sitting in the very pool of water Artemis had used to escape so long ago.
The closer they got to the pool; the more agitated Kore got. Was there no place that was hers alone? Artemis lowered herself into the pool's cool water. Kore stood at the tree line, silently fuming. Now, Kore was not usually an angry person, but this was the final straw. She knew that she had been watched by her mother but now her friends were spies.
"How did you know?" Kore asked. Her voice cold, and steady.
"Hmm?" Artemis met her stare. "Know what?"
Hades ran his fingertips over his most prized possession, his commissioned drawing that he has had for years. The paint was starting to fade, around the hair and face. The red hair turning almost orange from the years. His office doors were thrown open, in the usual dramatic fashion. So much so, that he did not even have to look up to tell who it was.
"Zeus," He tried to hide his annoyance. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" He tucked the portrait into the top drawer of his desk and locked it.
"I only came to see when you were going to make a move on that nymph girl you have been fawning over." Zeus smiled wide and folded his body into a chair across from Hades' desk.
Hades resisted the urge to roll his eyes and kick Zeus out of his office. "I have no idea what you are talking about." He rose from his seat and leaned forward over his desk. "Not all of us have the time to mess around with over 15 women a week." Hades realized that might have come out a bit defensive, but honestly, he did not care.
Zeus simply chuckled. "Some of us need to relax occasionally. It can't be all about work all the time." He ran a hand through his hair and sat up in the chair. He knew this was going to be a losing battle.
Hades pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Some of us have actual jobs. Some of us have to actually work to keep the world running." He took a deep breath. "I appreciate the concern for my relaxation brother, but I do have work to do." Hades gestured towards the door. Zeus rose from the chair and headed for the door.
"You know she may not be yours forever. When you say someone is off-limits to us, we expect her to be claimed." He glanced solemnly over his shoulder and met his brother's eyes. He knew he was forcing Hades' hand, but it needed to be done. Hades has been lonely and miserable for far too long.
The giant cherry door closed gently behind Zeus, as Hades sat back in his chair. His words still echoed in his mind. He felt a rage building. "How dare he!" Hades roared and kicked back from his desk. He ran a hand through his hair to calm himself. He knew that Zeus would not leave her alone forever, he had to figure something out. Hades lowered himself into his chair, his head in his hands. There was not anything he would not give to be free from all his responsibility, even for only a night. Once the thought was in his head there was no escaping it. He worked the rest of the day in a trance, trying to build confidence to do what needed to be done.
The clock chimed at the end of the day. Hades pulled his suit jacket on and headed for the first time in years, into Demeter's realm, hoping she would not notice.
Kore calmed her breathing. "How did you know about this place?" The pool was hidden off the beaten path, on the very edge of Demeter's realm. This pool was the furthest Kore could get from her mother, without hurting people.
"This pool is one of my favorites in the grove, as it is the most secluded. Wouldn't want a rouge hunter to stumble upon one of us, right?" Artemis gestured to the water, trying to get Kore to relax a little. "Look, I get that your mother is uptight and strict. However, she is not here, and it is just the two of us. I stood up for you with the big guys. You can trust me. I promise I will help you in any way I can." She pleaded with her eyes for Kore to understand that she was not her enemy. She knew that Demeter was overbearing, but she had underestimated how out of touch with the rest of the world Kore was. Kore took a deep breath and stepped out of the tree line towards the water. Kore knew that Artemis was not the type to lie. She slipped her satchel off and laid it by the water, before lowering her feet into the pool. She could not risk anything happening to her drawing. The blue eyes she could drown in.
The two of them stayed in that grove the whole day. Talking and laughing, Artemis was relieved that Kore had let some of her guards down.
As the sunset, the two of them felt eyes on them. Kore instantly stood up and scanned the woods. She figured her mother would not let her have even this day of peace.
"Mother, we will be home soon" Kore called out. Neither of them was sure that it was Demeter that was watching them, but Kore thought better safe than sorry. Besides whom else could it be?
Artemis caught a glimpse of a tall shadowy figure in the tree line. She could hardly contain her curiosity as she recognized the form. However, it was a form that should not even be here.
"Excuse me, Kore. I need to go check in a priestess nearby." She took a glance at Kore and left as fast as she could without making Kore nervous. It was imperative that she got her trust.
"Oh okay." Kore looked down at her satchel. Usually, her mother would have responded by now. Kore took this opportunity to take one last look around the grove to ensure that no one could see her paper and slid her drawing out of her satchel. She still felt the eyes on her, but they felt different than her mother's or even a nymph's. As she stared at the drawing, she did not notice the figure creep up behind her. Its footsteps as silent as Death.
She was startled by a voice in her ear. "That's a pretty close likeness. Did you draw it?"
Kore turned quickly to see the source of the voice. She ended up seeing eye to eye with the blue eyes that haunted her sleep.
"Hades?" Kore's question was hardly louder than a whisper.