Chapter 1: A New Life
The evening crickets chirped. Through the dusky haze, dim stars could be seen floating serenely in the sky. A seemingly ominous thunder rolled nearby, and there was a light drizzle of rain. Garden flowers stretched out their petals, greedy for a drink from the beloved Harvest goddess. Demeter was at her current dwelling; a quaint, pale yellow bungalow nestled comfortably on the hillside of Sicily. There were not many humans here, nor gods and goddesses. Demeter felt completely at peace, however. She attended her garden flowers with much needed attention and patience. Persephone was often on her mind when she did so. The ruby roses, violet lilacs, and blushing hydrangeas reminded Demeter of her daughter's kindness and wondrous femininity. Now that Persephone mainly dwelled in the Underworld with her husband, Hades, there was no goddess that could contend with Demeter's ability to give life in the Aboveworld. While this may have flattered Demeter if she had the vanity of Aphrodite, it only terrified her. She was starting to grow weaker as the eons passed. If Zeus were to decide to take her away again for another foolish affair, the world would be at his mercy until her form was reincarnated. Winter would take the lives of many, and she did not think Persephone had the power yet to take over her role nor challenge Zeus. This fear was not unfounded, either. Zeus had imprisoned Pan, the god of the wild, only a few decades ago. The lesser god was to have rumored bedding with Hera. It was only when hundreds of carcasses in the forests and masses of dead, floating fish in the sea showed up did the other gods realize what happened. By then, it was too late. Pan's godly form had become so weak from imprisonment, and not being able to immerse himself in where he truly belonged, that his physical form perished. For years, Demeter and other lesser nature gods struggled to pick up the slack. The carcasses had caused humans to starve or get sick. The humans' prayers to the gods, in return, were desperate and unhappy. These prayers, unlike the ones the gods usually received as grateful or joyful, only hurt the gods further. Demeter was yet to see Pan's reincarnated form as well. Sometimes, the reincarnation could take millions of years. She was half convinced the new Pan might be in hiding until he learned his powers better, though.
Demeter ambled back to her bungalow once finished with watering her flowers. A warm breeze caressed her shoulders, tossing her brunette hair playfully. There was a flash of light to her right, and she saw that something had struck the beach shore. At first, she wondered if Zeus had actually come to take her away. Her hazel eyes narrowed with a certain intensity. Where the flashing of light had been, there was a small being. Demeter could sense the power radiating off of them; it was unreal. Hesitantly, she walked toward the small being on the beach shore. As she got closer, she gasped. The small being was just a baby! She started to run, her toes sinking into the sand, until she reached the child. Scooping up the naked baby into her arms, Demeter peered down. It was most definitely a goddess, their aura enveloped her like a warm hug. Their spirit felt familiar, like a long lost friend, but it was not Pan like she had hoped. Demeter could only come up with one name of who could make her feel this way. Summer.
The Harvest goddess nearly cried. Summer, the goddess of healthy and thriving life, had been missing for far too long. Demeter never knew what had happened to her, just that she had disappeared and the entire world had suffered because of it. Summer's opposite counterpart, Thanatos, had ironically been hurt by the disappearance also. Because without any life, there can not be death. The whole fiasco had turned Earth into a weird sort of limbo. Otherwise, Demeter's neighborhood would have been much more populated. Without Summer to encourage the whims of love and adventurous excursions into the unknown, humans did not have the same motivation to make other humans anymore. Not even Aphrodite could help with that; she just made sure love still existed. Instead, the population had just stayed about the same. Now, everything was changed. Summer would be there in case anything happened to Demeter. Demeter now rushed back to the bungalow. Summer cooed in her arms, sweet brown eyes gazing upward curiously. Her skin resembled the fertile earth and caramel, naturally tanned, with dark brown ringlets adorning the top of her head. "You're as beautiful as I remember." Demeter smiled wholeheartedly, catching a hint of a smile on Summer as she swaddled her in the remains of her blouse. She offered goat's milk to Summer, but the baby goddess refused. In fact, Summer refused everything Demeter offered to her. Eventually, the older goddess gave up and settled herself into bed with Summer beside her.
Chapter 2: Destiny Calls
Demeter did not sleep well that night. She had tossed and turned, the excitement from Summer's return undoubtedly being the reason. When the first rays of Helios' sun started to cover Sicily's shores, Demeter finally decided it was time to get up. She turned to where Summer lay beside her only to find an empty spot. Panic immediately flooded her mind. She leaped out of bed, her feet landing on the cold, wooden flooring. "Summer?!" She exclaimed, racing down the hallway in her nightgown. Demeter felt like there was a weight on her chest. She noticed the guest bathroom door was closed, and there was light seeping out through the cracks of the doorframe. There was just the faintest sound of water running. Demeter only let out a brief exhale before pounding her fist on the door. A startled, effeminate voice responded, "Yes?" and Demeter's eyes widened. "Summer? Is that you?" She asked in astonishment, why Summer was only a babe just last night! "Well who else would it be? Silly!" The comment was paired with a small giggle. Demeter saw that Summer's playful banter was still the same, and she relaxed completely. "You know you can come in, right?" Demeter realized she was still standing at the door, and she turned the doorknob quickly once Summer invited her in. The bathroom had so much steam Demeter could barely see at first. The mirror was fogged, and Demeter felt the heat from the shower cling to her skin. There was a towel and some clothes Summer must have found laying around set up on the towel rack. The shower, of course, was running with billowing clouds of steam running over the top of the ivory curtain. Demeter was in awe. "How did you grow up so quickly?" She heard Summer turn off the shower, and then saw a slender hand reach past the curtain toward the towel rack. "It must be a part of what's to come." The hand, now grasping a towel, pulled back behind the curtain as the water shut off. A few moments passed before the curtain rolled back. Demeter's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Summer, who had been a babe just the night before, was now a fully fledged lady! Her hair was still wet, the ringlets resting on her shoulders flatly and with little shine. She was wrapped in her towel, and she gave a light smirk in Demeter's direction, "Your shower is nice." Summer stood at about the same height as Demeter, and her beautiful brown skin looked as smooth as bronze. Just as Demeter remembered. Demeter, uncaring Summer was still wet from her shower, embraced the younger goddess wholeheartedly. "Where have you been? The world has been suffering without you!" The mirthful expression on Summer's pate immediately dissolved. She looked to the tiled floor, seemingly choosing her words carefully. "I'm not sure. My last form's memories has only come in bits and pieces. I think it had something to do with Hades, though." Demeter appeared incredulous. "Hades?" The first culprit on the Harvest goddess' mind would have been Zeus, not her underworld son-in-law. Summer's eyes shot up toward Demeter's. "You mustn't tell anyone. What ever happened... I need to figure it out first before anyone else, hopefully before they realize I am even here." Now, Demeter was aghast and the fog had completely dissipated from the bathroom. "What do you mean? You want to keep your presence a secret?" Summer nodded, her countenance now serious. "Yes. For now, at least."