Demeter sat on the couch facing the door, for hours. She called Kore every few minutes. No response. Kore wasn't answering her texts either. As time slipped on, the rage was replaced by worry. She began pacing the living room floor. As the hours dragged on, Demeter realized she would have to go looking. She slipped her jacket around her shoulders and headed out the door. Demeter searched all over the woods, in all of Kore's favorite spots. She asked whichever nymphs she saw if they had seen her. No one knew where she was, or they weren't telling her. The longer she searched the more she was sure that Artemis had something to do with this. After all, Artemis is the one that gave Kore the phone. After a few hours of searching, Demeter headed towards Artemis's house. She didn't want to believe that Kore could be there, but she was running out of options.
Demeter slipped her hood over her head and knocked on Artemis's door. To her surprise, the door opened abruptly.
"Took your time." Artemis moved her body to block the doorway.
Demeter's eyes narrowed. "You…" Her hands clenched into fists. "You are the one that ruined my perfect little girl."
The expression on Artemis' face never changed. "No. " She shook her head. "No one did anything to her, but you. You made sure of that. You have no one to blame but yourself. However," She paused so Demeter could get the full effect of her words. "After everything you put her through, Hades is going to do everything he can to make her whole again. Whatever it takes." Demeter stood in silence. Disbelief plain on her face. Artemis nodded at Demeter. "Don't do anything stupid and don't come back here looking for her again." The door closed in Demeter's face.
The words Artemis spoke rattled around in Demeter's brain. Those words told her everything she needed to know. Her lovely, innocent Kore was shacked up with Hades.
"That's it. She's beyond reason." Demeter's eyes hardened as she skulled into the dark of night, toward her house. "She will regret this."
Once inside her home, she decided to give Kore until tomorrow morning to come to her senses.
Demeter was up all night texting Kore, Artemis, and even Hades threat after threat about the consequences of their actions. The night dragged on as Demeter sat lonely on her couch. Rage coursed through her.
Kore awoke as the sun started to rise. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glanced around her surroundings. She was still half asleep and not sure where she was. She sat up in bed and an arm fell into her lap. She jumped out of bed wide-eyed.
"Who…?" The question was hardly louder than a whisper.
"Kore?" Hades reached for her, still asleep. "Come back." There was a desperation in his voice that broke her heart.
Kore took the opportunity to survey the room, and try to piece together what had happened the night before. She didn't remember much, mostly just the fight with her mother and running to Artemis. She had been so full of adrenaline and panic that the rest is all a blur.
"So Artemis called Hades, and he came to see me and somehow we ended up in the same bed." Kore racked her brain for a reasonable answer to how she ended up sleeping in the same bed as Hades but she couldn't think of any. Still, she couldn't help but be drawn to him. She sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at him. Kore tried to memorize every detail of his face in case this whole fight with her mother got out of hand.
Hades looked up at her through his eyelashes though she didn't see him. He laid his head across her lap, trying to play as if he was still asleep and only re-adjusting. He sighed contently and closed his eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair.
There was a sadness radiating off of her. She leaned down and kissed the side of his head. Her fingers moved from his hair to the outline of his jaw, and up his cheekbone. She closed her eyes and tried to commit his profile to memory. There was no way the God of the Underworld would want to be with a spring goddess for very long. Even if Hades actually did want to be with her, there is no way her mother would allow it. She let out a long sigh, bit her lip, and tipped her head back. Hades rolled over to look up at her. Her face flushed, though she didn't move. She hoped he was only adjusting again.
"Now that's a sight to wake up to." Hades chuckled. Kore's eyes shot open. She cleared her throat. Her face burned.
"Why do you say that?" She wasn't sure how long he had been awake.
"No reason. " Hades shifted to sit next to her. "You just look good. " He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "That's all."
Kore looked down, "So do you." She bit her lip again.
"Me?" He pointed to himself. Kore nodded. "Nah. I woke up like this." Hades ran a hand through his messy bed head hair. His dress shirt had the first 3 buttons undone. His sleeves were unbuttoned and completely unrolled. His dress pants and shirt were covered in wrinkles. His dress shoes were placed neatly by the foot of the bed. Kore glanced at him from the side of her eye. He leaned back on his elbows and looked up at the ceiling. His head tipped back. The early morning sunshine lighting up his eyes and pale complexion. Kore was stricken by the soft light shining through his eyelashes and couldn't help but stare. Her mouth slightly opened. She fiddled with her hands on her lap.
They say like that for a moment before Hades caught her staring at him. "Like what you see?" He teased her.
Kore blushed again and looked away quickly. "I guess."
Hades pretended to be shocked. " You guess?" Kore nodded. He fell backward, faking being heartbroken. "How will I ever go on?" He threw his arm over his face, clearly being overdramatic.
Kore bit back a chuckle. "I guess you'll just have to try harder." She raised an eyebrow at him, challenging him.
Hades sat up quickly. "Oh really?" He eyed Kore's expression before pulling her onto his lap facing away from him. Kore laughed in surprise and jumped up. Hades stood to follow her. The mischievous glint in his eyes told Kore all she needed to know. She walked back over to him and threw herself on the bed.
Kore pretended to be scared. "How will I ever survive being stuck in a room with the big bad Hades?" She pulled her knees into her chest and buried her face in them. Her eyes didn't leave Hades. He paused momentarily to gauge if she was being serious. Kore raised an eyebrow at him. He smirked and sauntered over to her. Hades grabbed her ankles and pulled, forcing her to lay down. She chuckled and bit her lip. He placed both hands on either side of her head. Their faces were inches apart. Kore planted her hands on his chest. She grabbed the open button part of his shirt and pulled him to her. Kore kissed him quickly and hard. He held himself up to make sure he wasn't rushing her. She kissed him once more and then attempted to push him off her. Hades moved and sat on the edge of the bed. Kore sat next to him and reached for his hand. They smiled at one another. Feeling oddly at peace. However, they knew it couldn't last while Demeter could do anything about it. Hades' smile faded as he turned towards the ground. His thumb absentmindedly drew circles on Kore's hand.
Kore sensed the shift in the air and rose to stand in front of him. "What's wrong?"
Hades shook his head. There was no reason to burden her with all of this after she finally stood up to Demeter. "It's nothing."
Kore knelt in front of him, still holding his hand. "You know I didn't mean the whole big bad Hades thing, right?" She glanced up at him earnestly.
"Don't go ruining my reputation now. " Hades tried to joke.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Kore stuck her tongue out at him. "Besides maybe I like you a little bad." She stood and walked out of the room before he could respond.
Hades' mouth fell open. "Did she just…?" His voice trailed off and he shook his head. "Oh yeah. She's gonna be trouble. "
He walked to the mirror and got ready for the day. He fixed his hair and his shirt. There wasn't much he could do for his pants; the wrinkles would have to do. After tying his shoes, he headed down into the kitchen to make Artemis and Kore breakfast. A smile plastered onto his face.