Parthenos
I must say, Villains Night was really worth it; on a scale of 1 to 10, it was an 11. And yes, that was one of the reasons I went on the trip as its not every day Disney decides to be edgy.
The show was pretty fun, though I did wonder where Pain and Panic were. They always choose Meg as a co-host with Hades, but she was still fabulous and really flirty, as my sister commented.
Hades was fun and oddly motivational. Like his whole spiel "We're all evil in our own separate ways," acting like an evil Oprah to all the assembled villains was kind of out of left field for me, but hey I guess villains gotta love and support each other now and then, and then y'know stab each other in the back. Because it's what Brutus would have wanted.
Thank you all to the kind reviews! I finally hit 100 reviews on this fic- 101 as of writing this A/N. I didn't think I would hit 100 by the time I came back, but it happened… So yay! Special thanks to Ebony Dove for writing my 100th review.
Also to all my wonderful reviewers like Zabbie Q, Agent of Teal, BialyandBloom, and PotniaGranadaCtonica for sticking it with me thus far.
And to all the rest of you!
Happy 2nd Berfday NOW HIRING!
Warning: This is a heavy chapter for me, we're going to be hitting a high T in this as there will be mentions of sexual assault and rape. A very common theme in Greek Mythology, so it shouldn't be too surprising.
Disclaimer: Chapter 1
"I know my sister like I know my own mind
You will never find anyone as trusting or as kind."
Satisfied, Hamilton, By Lin-Manuel Miranda
"Holy Diver,
You're the star of the masquerade,
No need to look so afraid."
Holy Diver, By Dio
Athena gazed upon her sister with a serene, calm look, but her eyes were heavy and her lips set in an almost dour expression. She never was the one to express melancholy, but there was a certain air that hung around her that made any of the joy Persephone held in her heart to seep out and turn to cold hard ice as she stood rooted to the spot.
Even Ibid, who stood faithfully on Athena's right shoulder, shared that same sad look. For his large golden orbs were downcast and refused to look at the maiden who so often took care of her.
Persephone could only bite her lip in embarrassment as she tried to think of something- anything. She tried to muster a sound, but her mouth became dry and her tongue stood still no matter how she tried to move it.
"Before you say anything," Athena interrupted her train of thought. "I was not expecting to see this. I thought you of all the gods had better sense than to associate yourself with someone of such reputation, but then again when I went to investigate the tip you gave me on Poseidon, well, I started to become suspicious when the fish began to sing and a question began to nag at me so, so much."
"Persephone," Athena paused, her tone became lilted as she met her own shrinking violet gaze.
"Where is your scythe?"
Persephone felt her heart stop beating. Her eyes widened and that mask she had been wearing for so long slipped off entirely, revealing nothing but that fearful look of shock and guilt that twisted her sweet heart-shaped face.
One slip-up was all she needed to get caught.
Armed with nothing but a hunch, Athena could have found a dead end and left it at that. Yet curiosity and perhaps well-planned fate instinctually lead the goddess of wisdom to Persephone's island home to find her in the middle of the very thing she had been trying to hide.
In a word, Persephone had been caught red-handed.
Athena waited with that thousand mile stare, tired and weary as she expectantly waited on her sister to say anything. Her grey eyes so piercing that Persephone felt the anxiety inside of her begin to build and words began to form before her mind did.
"I don't- I mean," Persephone stumbled over her words before she found her voice. "… I can explain."
Athena raised one curious eyebrow, but her grey eyes darkened. Even her bright blue aura became dim. "I'd love to hear it, but I'm afraid I wouldn't believe a word of it."
Persephone remained frozen. Her hands remained by her side, and her eyes became passive as she looked Athena dead on. The ashen lotus flower in her grasp was the only thing she could feel besides her pounding heart.
"Likewise," Persephone retorted through gritted teeth.
Athena and Persephone held their gazes as they watched to see who made the next move.
The teacher and her apprentice.
Athena almost felt a sense of pride course through her at the way Persephone held her ground, but there was a sense of dread there too. She had instilled so many centuries of learning and knowledge in her sibling, but it seemed she had not done enough.
"If you want to be at an impasse then so be it, but I want you to know it was never my wish to keep things secret to you," Athena paused as she began to remove her helm, something she never did in anyone's presence. "Nothing should remain secret between us… At least any longer."
Athena allowed her final sentence to hang in the air before she steeled her eyes once again and began to shake her head disapprovingly, her rage finally breaking through. "But of all the gods you had to consort yourself you chose the blooming god of the underworld?! Have you any idea how dim you must be to achieve such a feat?! What possessed you- no," Athena paused as she took a long, deep breath, trying to recollect herself.
"No… There are no words. Absolutely, no words to describe how disappointed and terrified I am right now," Athena seethed, shooting her sister a pained look.
Persephone refused to make eye contact.
She felt herself shifting between the budding bloom of exasperation rising inside of her and the sorrow she felt seeping into her heart. Athena had always meant the world to her even after the whole fiasco with the competition days earlier, she was still her best friend- sister whatever it was at the moment. Centuries ago she had gone out of her way to teach her, to build her up even as she was isolated socially from the other gods. It was through Athena that she was able to shape her intellectual thought process, her cunning, and most importantly of all, she taught her to act upon her ideas.
Her mother never offered her that much leniency with experimentation when it came to plants, but Athena was so open-minded to it. She knew what it was like for others to push people down- to be limited for things that were out of their control, and it was that little link between them that made their bond so strong. Yet to have her role model, the woman who had always built her up, tear her down was a feeling unlike which she had ever felt. It was pain, it was guilt, and there was regret with a hint of humiliation. With it too came her need to explain herself.
"Athena, you have to understand," Persephone pleaded. "I never planned for this- it just happened-"
"What do you mean- just happened?! I saw him- I saw you back there with him. Saw you disembark from his own chariot and- and," Athena began to trail off as her deductions came out in full force. "You fished him out of his prison, didn't you?!" She shot an accusatory finger in her sisters direction. "Worked with him and he endowed that little power of soul-sucking into that scythe- gave him that idea, did you? Reaping souls like barley, I'm surprised he took advice from someone besides himself," Athena snapped much to the consternation of Persephone.
Yes, all of that was true; down to the little detail of it being her idea of the reaping scythe. Athena was good, but she never figured she was this good. Especially with her mind on a war she'd been planning for centuries- holy Hera how did she process all that so quickly?
"Yes, I did," Persephone shut her eyes as if in pain. "When you left me that day with Praxidice I took a tour of the underworld from that hole into the earth you showed me," she half-heartedly admitted.
"But why, Persephone?" Athena used her old nickname as a sign that she was trying to understand things from her point of view. "Why did you help him escape? You know what he did to our brother- what he did to your mother, and I, and the rest of the gods. What he could have done to you once he found you out here-"
"I didn't know, alright?!" Persephone shouted in a half-roar, half-strangled cry as she covered her face with her hands. "In the beginning he tricked me… I heard about him so much you'd think I'd recognize him when I dragged him out, but I had never seen him. Not once, and even if I did know, I had to do something. He was practically dead when I found his body as I waded in the Phlegethon. He needed help and I revived him. Sue me."
"And why, pray tell would you jump into that accursed thing- do you realize what could have happened if you weren't strong enough to swim-"
"It's not like I wanted to go in there, but the pupper had other ideas," Persephone lamely explained, but her eyes briefly lit up in amusement at the thought of the three-headed canine that had showered her with his slobbery kisses. "And it's not like I was hurt."
That was a lie. The Phlegethon River burned into her body as it did in her mind. She felt something akin to death as she swam in that murky river of fire, but she was as right as rain when she got out; god in tow.
"It is not only you I was concerned about," Athena droned, her voice becoming soft as a particular memory surfaced on the day before the competition, a memory that scared her and her fellow gods in such a way that left them on edge. It would have been a forgotten memory by now had it not been a hint to what the death of an immortal would look like. A lingering fear that no god was ready to welcome.
"The whole world was reeling. Even our father found his very life-force draining, at a moment that very day and I had no idea why. The world could've ended, Persephone. You are a goddess of life and as such-"
Persephone allowed Athena's lecture to slip through one ear and out the other. She'd heard this a thousand times over and every time it came up she almost felt a little part of her soul chip off and die. Didn't she get enough from her own mother?
"Yes and everyone is so happy to acknowledge it, aren't they?" Persephone intoned bitterly.
She felt childish for saying it, but usually when she chose this course of action, Athena would take the role of the absent-minded professor and droll on and on about something that had nothing to do with her intended purpose. It worked on occasion, and it really wouldn't hurt to try now.
"Look how well that ended up, dear," Athena sharply retorted. Her mouth became a firm line as she recognized her sister's usual strategy of getting out of trouble, but this time she was going to make sure she paid heed to the wisdom she had to impart.
"There's always Elysium," Persephone unconsciously quipped.
"Ah, so I see the message was well received, but I'm afraid after speaking with Zeus that will no longer be possible."
Persephone snapped to attention, her eyes wild and face set in disbelief.
"How do you know about the deal Hades offered me?" But as the questioned slipped out of her words like a slippery snake, Persephone felt her face contort at her mistake.
Damnit, never reveal what you know to the person who's backed you into a corner. Play the fool, but do not be the fool. All it does is give them more power over you. She learned that the hard way, but she was learning still, and she was already off-kilter with her mind unprepared for this ambush.
Athena stared dumbfounded at Persephone's sudden change of demeanor, but understanding soon washed over her.
"Elysium was never his to offer you, my sweet girl," Athena spoke slowly and softly, watching her sister closely for any signs of surprise or perhaps doubt. Who knows how much under Hades' thrall she was at this point. "Zeus decreed it to be your punishment for all the chaos you caused, but in light of speaking with him he has changed his mind. I swear I speak the truth by the River Styx. Hades cannot offer that which was never his."
"But he told me I had a choice in the matter of Elysium- why would he make it out to be like that?"
A dark thought struck Athena at the moment, but she pushed it aside as she began to explain what she knew. "You have to understand, I don't know the nature of the deal Zeus and Hades struck. I may have just spoken to our father, but he was sworn to secrecy and I had to connect the lines from the few details he could give me. What I do know is Hercules will return to the living world in two day's time. What Zeus exchanged for such a deal is beyond me, but after speaking with Megaera and seeing this, well, it all seems to fall into place."
Persephone felt a strange chill creep up her spine at the way Athena was looking at her. No longer was there any hint of anger in her. It was an expression she had never seen on her sister's face. She'd seen her in many faces: triumph, determination, but her most defining look was her serene look of wisdom.
The face that looked back at her now, though?
Pity.
"Persephone, what is the nature of your relationship with Hades?"
There it was.
The one question Persephone had been dreading since she stumbled across her sister out here in her woods.
Persephone looked to the flower she held in her hand, paying no mind to the look Athena was giving her; much less the world going on around her. Gently she brought the lotus close to her face and admired its shriveled form. She had to be careful and hold it in a feather-like touch to keep the delicate ashen petals from falling off.
She could still vividly see how Hades' face had fallen as he had quickly presented the flower, but it seemed in his haste he was oblivious to the damage he had inflicted upon the flower. Persephone didn't mind of course. Too many times she'd watch the flowers she'd pick remain the same until later on when they began to shrivel and die as they were far them from their root- from Mother Gaia.
It was a disconcerting thing watching the process happen through a couple of days until all the water eventually seeped out, leaving nothing but that crinkled, dried form. To watch it burn and see it die in an instant; that quick, merciful death. It was less painful, and it would return to the earth into ashes, starting the cycle all over again.
Ashes to ashes.
Even the brightest flames left ashes in whatever terrain it burned in, and as the fire inside her began to wane as she gazed into the piercing gray eyes of Athena, Persephone knew that this would be where the world would find her ashes.
What are we indeed?
"Barely even friends," Persephone guessed with a shrug and a ghost of a smile. "I don't know what you'd call it, but we're certainly not close. Means to an end I guess? I mean it's more of a business thing."
"And what end are you hoping to reach, dear sister?" Athena narrowed her eyes, slowly approaching Persephone. "Are you planning to take the Underworld after all with a different approach in mind? Power does come at a cost, though I'm surprised you'd take such a risk. I never took you for a seducer, but your mother did try in her day."
Persephone felt herself bristle at the accusation. The hot poker of anger shooting through her heart. "It's not like that!" She felt herself roar, but that was nothing compared to what she belted out next. "And don't you dare accuse me or my mother of such a thing!"
Yes, there relationship was complicated, but she was still her mother and she had done her best to raise her considering the circumstances of her conception.
Athena feigned a smile. "Hera came by telling you of the option of marriage for you, did she not? Some might consider marriage a business deal- so tell me, dear? When your dear dread lord of the dead offered you Elysium, did he offer anything else with it? A little proviso you didn't read in the fine print? I often hear the devil is in the details."
"What?!" Persephone shouted. "No-no-no-no-no it's not like that, he was never interested in me," she felt a sick feeling erupt in her stomach at that lie. A lie that made her heart hurt from even admitting. For it hurt for the simple reason that she believed it up until earlier tonight.
She may not know the nature of lovers and the things they do, but in the time when everything was beautiful and nothing hurt. Back in the days of the Competition, he had given her many mixed feelings.
Yet it was that kiss she tricked him with when she slammed the Styx into him that really made her question the validity of the lie.
She had never shared a kiss with anyone.
Yes, she'd done it with her mother as she wished her good night, or maybe when Hermes was being particularly kind or witty and she'd give him a simple peck on his forehead or cheek, or that time she did the same with Poseidon for endowing Praxidice with the power of the Styx.
Even tonight she made the same sort of gesture- something that she gave to the people she considered friends, but that one kiss was nowhere near the same.
When his lips has pressed against hers in that almost hungry manner, a strange sort of surprise swept inside of her. While the kiss excited her in a way she didn't understand, uneasiness was there too as his arms held her close and seemed to grow tighter had she not acted and blindsided him with the Styx.
She didn't have the time to think about it, anyway, her thoughts were too encapsulated on the slain demigod she was stepping over.
"He's a guy, of course he is, and look at you, you're naive, pretty, and a little on the submissive side," Athena cupped Persephone's face in her palm much to her growing disgust. "It's a defense mechanism you've grown into to get others to like you. Trust me, give a man an inch and they take any advantage they can. It's like war, they look for any weakness they can, and sometimes fighting an easier war is worth the small victory for all it does is pave the way for greater conquests. Even those with better repute than that devil you're so enamored with. The gods of Olympus Ares, Apollo, Hephaestus- they're all the same. They act kind and interested in your hobbies and then suddenly that friend takes advantage of the trust you gave them and has their way with you."
"Hephaestus? But he's always so kind to you," she muttered in disbelief. "You used to hang out with him so much. Hermes says he sends you flowers every week," Persephone pulled away from Athena's hold.
"It's his form of an apology. One I will never accept," Athena hissed and it was at this moment that Ibid took his leave from his mistress' shoulder.
"Athena, what did he do?" Persephone forgot about her own troubles and gently took Athena's hands into her own.
Athena's hardened stare was pure steel as her face set into a frown. "He took advantage of my naivety. A mistake on his part, I assure you," she spoke with a small grimace.
"I thought my best friend, would understand my decision for choosing the life of chastity. I never cared for the idea of pleasurable company. I was pleased with myself after all and I felt complete. I did not need someone to fill some imaginary hole they tried to convince me I had. But he would always ask if he could change my mind and marry him, but I never took him seriously."
"I don't understand," Persephone shook her head in bemusement.
"Kore," Athena made a heavy sigh that resonated from deep within her being. "He tried to to rape me."
Persephone could only shudder as that word raked across her mind. She'd heard it in hushed whispers from some of the quiet nymphs. The lost, broken ones she found when her mother took her to different cities. When their lands were taken from them and were displaced by mortals. They would describe the crime against them as such, but there were others who used it in a sense she had not understood. She had approached her mother on the meaning of the word, but she told her nothing, but the simple request to never speak it again. It was not for her sweet ears to learn about something so evil.
It wasn't until Hecate had explained in her own vile way that she understood. Hecate's teaching methods, though practical, sometimes bordered on the demented.
The day she took that piece of her aura was how she explained it.
With a grin and a flick of her wrist, Hecate took something from her that she could never get back. A power, a security that she always had, and once it was gone, she felt that emptiness swirl inside of her.
When she had begged her to give it back, Hecate only winked.
"You asked what it was, little Melanthe, and this was a teeny tiny fraction of what it's like without all those nasty details."
She couldn't imagine what those details were, and if she was given a small fraction- an idea really on what it was like. It would take someone with will stronger than adamantium to recover from it.
"Oh gods…" Persephone found her arms around Athena in an instant. If she didn't know her so well, she wouldn't have noticed that almost inaudible sharp sniff before her breathing returned to normal "Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Because you wouldn't know, and still you don't truly know the full implications of such an act. Know simply that he failed," Athena explained.
"Thank the Fates," Persephone released her so she could try to read her.
"Yes, my skills on the battlefield saved me," Athena slowly started. "But you lack that strength and my experience and it is why I am worried for you. You may not see it now, but you must desist with Hades. He is nothing but trouble, and you know he is. That is why I worry for your safety, security, and for your future. I swear to you that you will never experience the feeling of someone grabbing you from behind, hearing the tear of your own peplos as someone you considered a dear friend tries to pin down your arms and restrain you."
"He would never do something like that," Persephone shook her head vehemently. Her eyes wide and wild as the beginnings of a fire began to bloom at the tips of her hair, but she quickly patted them down before Athena could see. "Not all gods. You can't judge on the basis of one god- what about Hermes, huh? He's one of my best friends and he's one of yours too- you can't discount him!"
"Don't change the subject, anyone can take down Hermes. You proved it a week ago! But the lord of the dead is a far-cry from our sweet friend. He has power to rival our father, a kingdom which I, nor the other gods, can enter unless we are given permission from him. Not even our father can demand to see him in that kingdom. And that isn't even what makes him dangerous, Kore, look at me," Athena grabbed her sister's shoulders and slightly shook her, forcing her to look up at her.
"His tongue is his greatest weapon. You know the lies he spins, you saw it firsthand. He's three steps ahead of everyone. He tried to use you to take Olympus. I bet my Aegis he forced you to make a deal with him so he could help you win."
Persephone removed her eyes from Athena's gaze, but even then she could still feel them piercing into her, far sharper than any blade made by god or man
"… Yes."
"And what did he want?" Athena pressed.
Persephone looked back at her sister with a troubling look on her face as she admitted, "My scythe."
"Why? Because it controlled the Styx and the dead?"
Persephone silently prayed that this would be over soon. Gods, she knew she shouldn't be feeling like she's betraying Hades by admitting the truth. Athena deserved to know since she was opening up too. Yet on the flip side, Persephone deserved to know whether or not Hades was trying to trick her again and Athena would never tell her something that wasn't for her own benefit.
Right?
Oh please, Hades, not again…
"Yes," Persephone repeated unsurely.
"Where is it now?!"
Persephone hesitated as her mind flashed back to when she struck the curved crescent blade onto a rock, sending shards flying all across the shores of the Styx.
"Don't tell me he still has it?!" Athena begged.
"He doesn't. Not the important part at least…" Persephone admitted with an awkward grin.
"What do you mean not the important part?" Athena's nostrils flared in restrained rage.
"I shattered the blade, okay? And the metal flew everywhere."
"That's not possible; it was unbreakable," Athena stressed, but a troubling thought struck her. "No, no, it just changed form, like its mistress intended it to be. Which means…" Her arms immediately dropped to her sides, releasing Persephone from her hold.
Persephone waited with bated breath as she watched Athena begin to hold her face as she pieced it all together. What Athena said about the scythe changing its form was true, she herself had changed it into a clay tablet to write on, a rope, and a bracelet. If the scythe had only lost its blade to appease her wishes then that meant…
Oh gods.
"The shards…" Athena whispered. "The shards are still out there- they still have the same magical properties everyone bestowed upon it! Poseidon, Hades, all that power," she gasped as everything fit together. "The blade can be reforged- reused, but only for the goddess it was intended for."
"That's not true, others could use the scythe, I saw it."
"Yes, if it was in its original form," Athena waved off her reminder. "But right now it's not whole. It's in pieces. Praxidice's sole mission is to serve you in any way she can, and in turn, she'll change into any form if she knows it will serve you in the end."
"But why does this matter?" Persephone interjected. She felt the anxiety begin to rise inside of her, but with one last look at the ashened flower, she held onto for hope. "He's never brought it up once."
"How many times has he brought up that deal, though?" Athena turned the question around.
Persephone made a sharp intake of breath ready to attack the notion, but how could she? "… Often."
"And how did you respond?" Athena critically asked, but she already knew the answer.
"I told him I'd think about it," Persephone continued to avert her eyes.
"Expecting him back I see? He really does deserve the second chance doesn't he? Or is it third now? I seem to have lost count." Athena didn't try to hide the venom in her tone as she reminded her what he had done to her.
Persephone felt herself bristle even more because of it, but she remained silent as she seethed inwardly.
Gods, she knew this!
Every time she so much as looked at him she was reminded of all that he had done. She didn't need an outsider to all this to remind her.
Athena hadn't been there all the times he tried to make it up to her and tonight, gods, tonight was just perfect. These past few days with his constant stream of apologies amid his surprise visitations, she had been Athena in this situation. Tonight was the one time she truly held no reservations against him. She allowed herself to enjoy the night, and it was perhaps her last night of freedom before she would be ultimately trapped in a dead-end job.
All the days before, though? Not once did she believe him. They bickered and tore into each other as those with a past did.
Athena didn't know, and frankly she didn't want her to know about what they were working through.
He at least deserved that, much.
But why was the scythe being brought back into all this? She knew he had the spear part of it, that much she remembered when he visited her the first time. All she saw it as was damning evidence, but nothing more. What about the shards of the crescent blade, though? That was where the real power was held. Did he collect every single shard on the banks of the Styx? What would that help him with? He couldn't use it in that form, only she could.
Unless...
Athena only shook her head at Persephone's choice to remain silent. To her she interpreted it as a clear sign of her adamant standing on the god in question.
"You truly are more delusional than I had you pegged," Athena miffed, turning around so she could no longer look at her sister.
"I'm only as delusional as youse guys made me out to be," Persephone quipped. No longer caring that she needed to keep her self in check. Athena wanted to verbally attack her fine, she'd been doing a hell of a good job so far, she better keep it up.
"Oh so that's why you decided to turn around and forgive him after he broke your heart the first time," Athena spun on her heel only for her to bite back yet another poisonous statement.
Persephone felt herself flare up at the accusation, feeling that seed of rage grow into real flames manifesting those lilac tongues she was known to create. Gods,
Athena could only watch in awe at this sudden transformation.
What in Zeus' name…
"It's different this time, he's- I'm," she stopped herself from saying anything further as she realized that Athena was staring at her like she'd just grown a second head.
Persephone looked down at herself and jumped at the sight of the flames in her hair. Quickly she began to pat the flames out as they began to hungrily eat the flowers her mother had braided into her hair. Unfortunately, they were not so lucky as they were quickly burned just like the lotus in her hand.
"You think you're his partner, don't you? Think that because you have his powers that suddenly you two are equals?" Athena exclaimed, her voice suddenly became tight and almost sympathetic. "Well, I hate to break it to but you don't seem to grasp that he lied to you tonight, Persephone," Athena paused as she began to circle her sister like an eagle about to take down her prey.
A bishop eyeing the pawn before it reached the final row of the chessboard.
"And with that information alone I don't think you're fully capable of making any sound judgements surrounding Hades especially considering your little fling for him."
Persephone felt a blush burn on her, but more of it was from the stinging disgrace she felt mark her. This was getting out of hand fast, and she couldn't stop it from getting any worse.
"So know this, sister of mine," Athena now stood, towering over her, though that was all in thanks to her helm, she proudly declared. "Elysium will never be his 'gift' to you, nor from your father, for it is now mine."
From thin air a scroll appeared in Athena's hand and began to unfurl itself right before Persephone's very eyes.
Any attempt at putting out the flames ceased as Persephone felt fear rise in her again as she quickly skimmed the contents of the deed.
Elysium.
The one land in the entire Underworld that did not belong to Hades. The land where heroes went when they passed on was now Athena's, and the proof was in the deed in her hand.
Persephone didn't need a sphinx's brain to figure out what was going on now. "But you said it was my punishment- what did you say to Zeus that changed his mind?!"
Athena's face stretched into a knowing smirk that unsettled Persephone enough to take a step back.
"Oh I simply pointed out your many flaws and oversights. I should know where you are after all I am your teacher," she tutted. "But mind you, Zeus was taking advice from Hades of all people when he decided this. And well, after speaking with me I helped him see the light. I am the patron goddess of heroes, who better than me to take Elysium?"
Persephone's rage reached its tipping point as her fury sprang into life. "No, you're going to use this as an opportunity to help you in the war. That is a conflict of interest," she quoted one of Athena's many lectures about the laws and justices the mortals had created. "This just helps in your plans to beat Sparta, but the Underworld doesn't work like that. You can't send heroes back."
"It's never stopped previous heroes," Athena pointed out. "Asclepius, Megaera, Hercules, they could come back because they were favored by Zeus- not even Hades could say anything. And they can't say anything if Elysium is ultimately mine. I am Zeus' favorite child thanks to my loyalty."
"Hercules won't stand for this," Persephone shook her head defiantly. "When he comes back, he will stop you. You know nothing of death living on that mountain for so long. I've seen it and I've had to live with it because I live among mortals."
"I'm a war goddess," Athena cracked a wry smile, her first all night. "I think I've seen it more than you ever will, my dear."
"No," Persephone shook her head resolutely. "I'm not talking about that kind of death. It's the kind of death that follows the natural order of things, something you would see if you stopped sending army after army, robbing mortals of their youth and lives. Take the human village Enna next to these woods,* do you know how much it breaks my heart seeing each new shepard as he peaks into the forest like his fathers before him? To see each new face grow and wither away only to die? The gods think I'm naive. They're right," she sighed, a sound that sounded ancient, something that did not belong to a maiden like she appeared.
"But at least I know what death is, and the finality it brings," Persephone softly spoke. She didn't need to raise her voice to get the message across, for it still set Athena aflame at the insult she was just served.
"And do you know your lord?" Athena inquired in a knowing tone. "Know him well enough that if he truly cared for you he would sacrifice himself as your groom? You could gain everything you ever wanted: respect, fear, a true goddess in every right far from this position you hate if you ever became Hades' bride. You'd get everything you ever wanted."
Persephone felt the ichor freeze in her veins. Even her heart began to stop beating as a cold feeling enveloped over her. She never knew the meaning of cold. Heat was always such a constant in Greece, but if there was ever a way she could describe what she was feeling it had to be like emerging from underneath a frozen lake. That satisfying feeling of breaking free washing over any need to stay warm for that heat had always been inside of her, and it was that fire inside that released her from that squalid prison.
Athena put into words the thing she could never admit to herself, and to have it presented so cruelly made her heart grow cold in her chest.
"Yet, he never asked, did he?" Athena was quick to remind her of her failure. "He offered you a made-up job, instead."
"Shut up," Persephone hissed as a sharp pain in her heart made her go numb with despair.
Almost like that stab she felt earlier today when she was in Apollo's arms, but if we were to compare those two moments, this new state was nothing compared to that dart of hope and its beautiful enticing thrill. No, this one was filled with nothing but dread and the painful nauseating feeling of fear.
"No, no, I think you want to hear this," Athena could not stop herself as a stream of words ran out of her mouth faster than Hermes on a mail run.
"You almost asked him tonight, didn't you? Began to feel your heart go warm and all a flutter all night as he swept you away to some far off place. You began to dream that perhaps he'd help you in your burden and give you an offer of a marriage of convenience, and who knows maybe even that dread lord may come to love you. If only he knew what love is."
Persephone felt herself stiffen at her choice of words, but felt them weigh upon her heavily as her insides began to twist every such way; her heart beginning to rise in her chest. Even her throat began tightening as she knew where Athena was leading to all this.
"Oh but what's this?" Athena's face became a mocking look of concern. "Our little maiden began to grow afraid. After all, the maid rationalized, when it comes to his desires, the devil is always so very frank about it. So, of course, he would ask if he truly sought the fair maiden's hand. He would stoop low enough for the girl who outsmarted him in the end."
"Athena, please," Persephone felt angry tears begin to stream down her face, but nothing could stop her sister, nor the tears she'd desperately held back till now. She angrily tugged at her sister's arm to make her stop and notice what she was doing to her as she sent word after word straight into her, piercing her like an arrow tipped with hydra blood.
Athena, though, would leave no stone unturned. A fine quality in any military commander planning for war, and just like war, she was going to win with no survivors.
"So when he offered you that job, did you almost feel like crying? Felt a gut-wrenching feeling well up inside of you when you began to realize he didn't want someone to share equally in his power?"
Athena paused as she watched the goddess before her begin to visibly shake as the tears spilled over the dam. The war goddess felt a stab of guilt, but she quickly pushed it away as she remembered Hephaestus and what he had almost done to her. She would make sure Kore never suffered such a fate, and if this was how she would learn?
So be it.
"He just wanted another minion, Kore," Athena quietly cooed, and softly patted her sister's head in sympathy with her free hand, causing Persephone's blood to boil at the degradation of such an act. "You've seen all the women who've worked under him. Megaera, Minthe, all of them bitter and cold with manipulated hearts, and you would become one of them. Do you want that, my dear? Another figurine in his collection of unwanted things," she emphasized with a clear unyielding tone of harshness, gripping Persephone's hand as she tried to pull her hand out.
Persephone sank to her knees, desperately trying to pull get away from Athena's hand, but she did not have the strength. Her only tether that prevented her from sinking further into the earth. She could not utter a sound as sobs began to wreck her core and her tears began to turn into flowers every spot where they spattered on the forest floor.
One particular tear managed to strike the lotus she still held tightly in her hand and suddenly it was alive, whole, and unscathed with nary a sign of a flame ever having touched it.
Persephone felt a fresh set of tears come down her face as she dropped the lotus in shock.
No, no, it was supposed to be burned, just like how Hades had given it to her.
Hades…
Gods, that name sent her heart into a daze, set her heart aflame, and tore it out of her chest. Time and time again when would she learn that that flame-haired god was nothing but trouble? Even when the times were good, when the link between them seemed to grow stronger through every trial, every intimate moment they shared all of it was for naught.
"He made a deadline didn't he? Right before your time to choose a life of chastity or marriage." Athena quietly asked.
Persephone nodded dumbly as she tried to hold back her sobs. Crying for a flower that was alive?
No, that was not why she cried.
She cried because instead of watching the flower turn to dust, she would instead have to witness the long painful days as the flower would wither away and die that long torturous death. It had already been spared that merciful, quick death but now, it would have to live with no way to keep itself alive.
"And what better way to be done with you than to take you and move on? Gods can be cruel, can't they?" Athena finished.
Persephone couldn't agree more as she sat there on the forest floor, begging and praying for this pain to end. She didn't think she would ever feel more pain than when Hades betrayed her the first time, but this was more harsh, and fresh because it was like taking an iron poker directly out of the flames and onto a freshly stitched wound. Right when the wound was ready to begin to heal, something came along to make sure it never had the chance.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…
"Shame on me," Persephone heard herself say out loud just as Athena moved her hand from her crown to her shoulder. She felt herself flinch, but she could do nothing as the war goddess crouched down to her level and encircled her in her arms.
Athena never was one to be there for emotional support, but she knew that her sister responded best to physical touch.
Persephone felt herself sink into Athena's embrace, though she wanted anyone but her holding her right now. Although she could think of someone far worse than her.
"I never wanted it to get this far, Kore, but you forced my hand," Athena sounded tired as she said this. Almost like she regretted what she just spoke, but the damage was done and it was time to collect the wounded and bury the dead.
Persephone swallowed the bile rising in her throat, saying nothing as she struggled in her hold.
Athena immediately released her from her embrace which allowed her to wipe her stray tears.
It was over.
Her greatest fear had come into being in the form of a double-edged sword.
One side laid Athena finding out about her ventures in the Underworld and her strange partnership with the enemy of Olympus, but on the other, the crueler of the two sides, was her underlying fear that Hades was lying to her once again all for his bid for power. That sword was currently, metaphorically speaking, sticking out of her chest from where Athena had driven it in.
All her reservations towards Hades had contributed to that one fear, and now with all this insurmountable evidence that Athena had presented her- how could she not be right?
His offer of a made up job, the true fate of the scythe and what it could spell for Olympus should she work for him, and the reminder of the way he treated his workers, all of it was too much.
Persephone had been tricked again, and she had come to realize it on the same night she found out her heart's greatest desire. Daphne had chastised her on finding what she truly wanted, and the sad part is, she'd known it all along. It wasn't until tonight when she danced with Hades hours earlier that she knew what she wanted at long last, but that felt like such a lifetime ago.
She came upon this understanding while being held in his arms before she woke up from that wondrous dream. Reality greeted her as she finally noticed the music they'd been dancing to had long been over, and the dream was finished.
Yet like all dreams it seemed so distant and silly, but they can also make the heart heavy from want, a feeling Persephone was familiar with at this moment.
Persephone had wanted him the moment he opened his eyes when she resuscitated him ages and ages ago.
Her heart hurt, gods of Olympus did it hurt. Why was it that her greatest fear coming true made her realize her greatest desire?
"You did what you had to," Persephone hoarsely whispered as her tears subsided. Her vacant eyes looked past Athena and into the darkened wood. Night still ruled the sky, and it wouldn't be for a couple more hours until morning came about.
"I'm glad you see it that way," Athena cleared her throat in a satisfactory manner as she rose to her feet. "I love you, Kore, and I mean it sincerely. I wasn't there for you the first time around, but I will be here if there ever rises a second time. This I swear."
Persephone nodded. She dared not utter a word in case her tears came crawling out.
Sensing her sister's uneasiness, Athena tried to think of a way to cheer her up. "And maybe after this whole war is over, I might reconsider and give you Elysium."
"What's the point?" I'll be unhappy anyway, Persephone dared not finish what she really wanted to say.
"Don't fret, my pet, you're not the first goddess to be struck by Cupid's arrow. Look at Eos, cursed with falling in love with every person she looks at," Athena tried to lighten the mood, but all it did was make Persephone feel the need to cry again.
Was that pain she felt at Psyche's palace a love arrow? Were all her actions tonight decided upon by that little stick?
The thought made her feel nauseous.
Athena sighed as Persephone continued to stare off into nothingness, her mind lost as she tried to make a semblance of everything. "Persephone, I have a favor to ask you."
Persephone cautiously gazed at Athena, her eyes unusually shiny, wondering what she was up to now.
"I want you to swear an oath of loyalty to our father," Athena proclaimed.
"Why?" Persephone listlessly asked, that small pulse of dread beating against her heart. "Is that his way of saying he wants to be a part of my life now?"
"No, this is entirely my idea. I've been getting reports of certain gods who want to overthrow him, and Zeus needs every hand he can get. We are divided, and if it comes to that when you stand by him, he will promote you. Maybe not now, but eventually, I promise this time it will be for real."
With every ounce of strength she had, Persephone held back her eyes from rolling. Zeus did that to himself. The last thing she wanted to do was belong to his Yes-men groupies. She wasn't going to belong to anyone anymore, least of all Zeus, Hades, or her mother.
Persephone was done.
Sure, Athena would force her to swear no matter what. She had become too unpredictable for her so she had to be chained somehow and an oath sworn by the sacred river was the perfect choice. Funny, how this little favor reminded her of when Athena first brought up the idea of ruling the Underworld.
The past really was repeating itself
"And if I marry? Do my loyalties extend to your king or my hubby?"
Athena's brow furrowed, her lips on the cusp of sneering. "Whatever will keep you in Greece, dear sister."
"Alright, I swear that as long as I reside in the land of Greece, I will remain loyal to your father, but if I get hitched to a Greek god two sunsets from now," she added this with an inward smirk, "then my loyalty will mean squat- just like what he did with me," Persephone wiped away the traitorous tear. She would not cry any longer in her presence.
"By the River Styx?" Athena cooly reminded her.
"By the River Styx I do swear," Persephone acquiesced, silently hoping she wasn't on fire again.
Athena feigned a smile and gave her sister a hug. "I hope you know what happens when you break a promise," she cautioned the goddess.
"I've never had a reason to," Persephone held onto her sister tightly, refusing to let go of her just yet. She couldn't stand the sight of her right now, and hugging seemed to be the only solution. "And don't tell mother about all this," Persephone released Athena, still refused to look into her thunderstorm eyes. "… It would break her heart."
"Only if you force my hand," Athena warned her.
Persephone bowed her head as that dark feeling of fear snaked around her heart, trapping her in that icy prison. She felt like a fly caught in the spider's web. With every wriggle she made to try and escape all it did was let her cruel tormenter know of her position.
Didn't Athena get everything she wanted from her? She outsmarted her, wrung her dry and left her out to hang like a washcloth. What more could she take from her?
Athena suddenly lifted her chin back up, forcing the goddess to look at her. "And I mean that, Kore. Do not try me."
"Then stop trying to make an enemy out of me," Persephone huffed.
Athena laughed at the serious tone of her sister. "Oh, you cheeky thing, trying to be all threatening. You have to work on that. No one will take you seriously with that sweet face and trembling lip."
Persephone took the slide with stride, not uttering a word, or restraining her offending bottom lip. She didn't want to give her that satisfaction. "You've done what you had to, now go," she flicked her wrist and out from a tree, Ibid was unceremoniously shaken out of his hiding place.
Athena only shook her head in distaste. "I have protected girls like you before. Take Medusa, she is safe from the evils Poseidon enacted on her. Yes, even the god who helped you. Fear them, my dear, you will thank me one day."
Persephone watched her sister's chariot, elephants and all appear before her.
Athena quickly gathered her effects before she stepped foot on her chariot. With reins in hand, the wise goddess took one last look at Persephone who only continued to glare at her.
"Oh and before I forget, while I waited for you, I found that friend of yours. Clytie, is it?" Athena patiently inquired.
Persephone could barely restrain the look of surprise that painted her face. "Yes, but how did you-"
"I'd take a second look at those large yellow flowers. It seems your friend fell for the fancy of a god who didn't feel the same way. Take that warning with heart, dear. I will return," Athena did not even wave good-bye as she cracked the reins, sending her chariot lurching forward.
Persephone could only stand there in stunned silence. The news of Clytie's fate hung heavily on her shoulders.
So this was the destiny of all who had unrequited feelings for gods?
Any tears that Persephone had held back till now came streaming out as there was no one there preventing her from doing so. She cried for her fallen friend, for her dreams going up into ash and smoke, for being forced to align herself with Zeus, and for all the things she'd done that contributed to the war with Sparta and Athens. Then she cried for her asinine decision to go to the Underworld and wanting to rule it.
Everything she tried, everything she wanted to help with; all of it was a waste. Yet what really made Persephone weep the most was how much she hated Hades at this moment.
Not Athena.
At least Athena was straight with her; that she could count on. Hades was that snake with his silver forked tongue tempting her with the fruit of knowledge, showing her the true meaning of good and evil.
Yet despite all of that she could not stop her heart from hating him. Oh no, it was why she was in such pain.
What a pity that she realized she was in love with Hades the very same night she realized he did not.
* Enna was a city renowned for the worship/cult of Demeter/Ceres, and had a woods dedicated to her that was called the navel of Sicily since it was smack dab in the middle of the island. Myth(Ovid) considers it the place where Hades carried off Persephone.
People always wonder why I made Athena the somewhat antagonist to the story, but first I have to say this she's right about her argument with her own experience with Hephaestus.
And yes, it was a cornerstone myth in the creation of the city of Athens. Hephy tried to rape her, but Athena stopped him and threw his junk onto earth where it turned into a half-human half-snake creature- rather like a naga named Erichthonius. Athena went on to raise him and he later became the king of Athens. I know in the TV show, Hephy had the hots for her, as Hermes commented in one episode, even though he was engaged to Aphrodite who I feel really truly loved him. So yeah, I wanted Athena's own experience to influence her fear for Persy and her need to protect her.
If you're ever wondering why I decided to have a sort of animosity spark up between the two of them, take a look at the East pediment on the Parthenon. It has the pantheon of the gods in statue form, but interestingly Persy appears on it next to her mother. Although through the passage of time, the two of them have lost their heads and hands. Coincidence? Yeah, thought not.
Yes, I've made every Olympian kind of corrupt, but that's the point. They're basically humans with immortality, super powers, and the biggest egos, they're going to do that. Unless you're Hermes.
Also, I took big inspiration from Meg and Hades' iconic conversation in the movie about men, and honestly, when you're in the business of selling souls, Meg's story would be so common, I too would roll my eyes at the: But this one is different. You got to give it to Meg, she really did learn what good qualities to look for in a guy. She had her time to learn from her mistakes and learn to love someone worth loving. Her flaw was loving unconditionally, something we never really consider in her character.
Anyway, I am super psyched for the upcoming chapters. I've been waiting two years to get to this point!
I hope you new guys enjoy it and I'd love to hear from you! Any questions or concerns just PM me or review, I'm not picky.
As always please fav, follow, and review! I'm super happy my views spike recently.