Chapter 32

Persephone

"Yes, Zeus, you broke your sacred vow."

It was a new voice, from the back of the room. We all turned, and I saw, with surprise, that it was Aspasia.

And yet, it wasn't. The form was the same, but the bearing was completely different. This Aspasia was divine, even more majestic in her bearing than Zeus was.

"I am Gaia, the Mother of all the Earth, and I have come to see that justice is done," Aspasia, or rather Gaia, said.

Hades (who had seemed to be unable to move moments before) was suddenly released. He moved back to my side, and I took his hand in mine. As one, Hades, Hermes, and I bowed our heads before the Being from whom all life had sprung. Zeus and Mother kept their heads up stubbornly.

Gaia approached Hades.

"My child," she said softly, lifting up his chin. "I did not know that your father had imprisoned you, or any of your siblings that followed, until your mother came to me with Zeus for my help. She told me that she hadn't been able to save any of you, as much as she wanted to. That is the only reason that Zeus was saved instead of you. Your mother did love you, as do I. We both would have saved you, had we been able."

At her words, I could almost see a burden being lifted from Hades's shoulders. He looked lighter. Freer. I hoped that there was one less scar on his soul now.

Gaia turned to Zeus. Grudgingly, he bowed his head before her.

"You have committed a great injustice towards your brother. I cannot ignore it any longer. A vow was made in my name, and I must see that this vow is made right. I cannot give Hades the sky, since he is the Lord of the Underworld in heart and in name as you the Ruler of the Skies. For this reason, I curse you, Zeus. You will be overthrown, but not by your children, like your fathers were. You will be overthrown by your own pride. The mortals will forget you, and you and your power will fade into oblivion."

Zeus seemed to shrink upon hearing his sentence. He lost the facade of confidence that I had always known him to have.

Next, Gaia came to me.

"You have finally come to love Hades as he deserves. You were always meant for life below the ground." At our surprised faces, she smiled and explained, "Only those who are gods of the Underworld have black eyes like you were born with."

I stiffened. "What do you mean, it was always meant to be? I am the goddess of Spring. I didn't have anything to do with the Underworld until Hades abducted me."

Gaia didn't answer me. She was looking at Mother, whose face was like a stone.

"Demeter," she said softly, "this is your tale to tell, I think."

Mother's expression turned livid. She folded her arms against her chest and lifted her chin up stubbornly. She stayed silent.

"Mother," I pleaded, walking to her and putting my hand on her arm. "Please."

Mother's eyes softened as she looked at me. Then, her gaze shifted to my hair. That more than anything made her lose her temper. She yanked her arm from my grasp.

"Don't touch me, you little traitor," she hissed. "I tried so hard to keep you away from him, and you now you want to stay with him more than you do with me."

Gaia held up her hand. "Enough! This is irrelevant at the moment. You will tell your story."

Mother's lips trembled with rage at being commanded like that, but she had no choice but to obey the power more ancient than her own. The story burst out of her.

"I was concerned when you opened your eyes for the first time and saw they were as dark as night. I knew that black eyes were the sign of an Underworld Deity. I did what any mother would have done and took you to the Fates. They told me that the Ichor of Kronos, my father and the last King of the Underworld, flows strong in your veins. They said that you were destined to one day rule the Underworld at the side of Hades. No daughter of mine is going to be shut up in that stinking hellhole! I kept you as far from other gods as I could. Then Zeus," she shot him a death glare,"had to have his precious feast and command everyone to go. When I saw you talking to Hades, I knew that I had to move quickly. I tried to remove you from his influence, but I was too late. You started questioning everything that I taught you, and I was so close to making you into what you needed to be."

"Mother!" I was horrified, "You cannot escape fate. Things never end well for those who do. You know the stories just as well as I. What have you done?"

Mother didn't answer, but kept a stubborn look on her face.

"Mother Gaia," Hades asked, confused, "was this all fate or did you plan this?"

"I do not plan destiny, for that is the duty of others. However, it was indeed fate. So, no," she said, looking at me, "you were not stolen by Hades, but simply taken to the place where you belong."

That reminded me of the unhappy truth.

"I'm afraid," I said with a quiet voice and a glance down at my clasped hands, "that I won't be there for long."

This, of course, caused demands for answers from Mother and gentle inquiries from Gaia. I, with occasional help from Hades, explained everything that happened. The horror on Mother's face and the hate-filled glares that she threw at Hades were as genuine as I had ever seen her.

"Is there anything you can do?" Hades asked Mother Gaia at the end of our narrative. "The world needs Spring and I," he smiled sadly at me, pulling me close, "need my queen."

I returned the smile. Hades looked at me with such love shining in his eyes, even in his sadness. It made me wonder what I had ever done in my life to deserve such a gift. I leaned against him, wanting to show my trust in him, but also because my weakness was coming back with a vengeance.

"I am the Mother of All Life. Life first sprang from me, and from me was everything created. Your powers, Hades, cannot overpower my words."

Gaia turned to me.

"Persephone of the Underworld and of Spring, you will again have your immortality." Mother Gaia raised her hand in a blessing over me. Immediately, I gasped and stood up straight. Power coursed through me.

I looked at Mother Gaia in surprise. Her warm brown eyes crinkled in a smile. Something about her eyes reminded me of my dream, the one where the earth had embraced me and given me new strength. That must have been her.

I turned to Hades eagerly and grabbed his face to kiss him. With joy and relief, he kissed me back. He even lifted me off my feet and spun in a giddy circle.

Finally, Gaia turned to Mother. I pulled away from Hades to listen to her words.

"I understand the love of a mother for her child, but she isn't yours any longer. She belongs to her husband, and he belongs to her. It is as it should be. However, I will show you mercy. Since Persephone ate nine pomegranate seeds, she will spend nine months of the year with Hades in the Underworld, and the remaining three with you. Since I know that I can't stop you from grieving, you will be allowed to show your grief for six of those months. This will also be mercy to the mortals. They will have six months to prepare their fruits and grains, and six months to remember you and your sufferings."

Mother wasn't happy at all with that arrangement, I could tell, but even she wasn't foolish enough to argue with a decree from Mother Gaia. However, in a moment, her expression changed from angry stubbornness to one of desperation. The proud goddess collapsed to her knees in front of her ancient forebear.

"Please, please, at least grant me one wish, Wise One."

Her plea moved Gaia to compassion.

"If it is in my power to give, I will do so," she answered, placing a tender hand on Mother's shoulder.

"When my daughter is with me, let her be all mine. Bar any that are of the Underworld to visit, see, or speak to her during our time together."

I could feel Hades's anger when his hand tightened on my own. He was about to protest, but a sharp look from Gaia silenced him.

"Demeter, I will grant your request. It's only fitting," she said, with a pointed glance at Hades, "since you will not be able to visit her in the Underworld."

"Thank you!" Mother kissed Gaia's hand in gratitude.

Hades was not happy with the arrangement at all, I knew, but I felt a certain peace about it. I wouldn't want to be underground all the time, after all.

Gaia then said to me, "Child, I will let you decide with whom you want to go with first. Remember, there are mortals suffering already because of the choices of your mother and husband."

I looked between Mother and Hades. Mother looked at me with her hard eyes. Hades kept his head down. I think he was trying to refrain from influencing my choice. My heart nearly burst with love for him. I wanted to give the time to Hades that I had kept from him for so long. And yet…. I remembered seeing row after row of dead spirits disembark from Charon's boat. I thought of the suffering that had accompanied each death.

I went to Hades's side and once again took his hand in mine. He lifted his face with a smile of triumph. The smile faded, however, when he saw the guilt in my eyes.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to him. I saw so much of his happiness suddenly drain away. It made my heart break.

I walked to Mother and said, "For the sake of the mortals, I will spend the next three months with my mother."

Mother looked happy, truly happy, and Gaia smiled.

"You have made a good choice, my daughter. The mortals will be grateful to you."

Gaia looked over at Hades and raised her eyebrow. He nodded to her, and something passed between them.

There was a flash of light, and I blinked. When I opened my eyes, Gaia was gone, leaving the scent of warm earth and roses behind her.

"That's that, I suppose," Zeus said with a sigh.

Mother shook herself and laid her hand on my shoulder. "Come," she said, trying to lead me away.

I didn't follow quite yet. Instead, I turned and looked at Hades. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He walked towards me and took my hands. Neither of us said a word. Then, Hades drew me close to him and kissed me deeply. The kiss was silent promise to one another for a better future.

I tore herself away and ran after Mother. But not without one last backward glance and smile for my forlorn husband.

I caught a moment between him and Zeus. Hades gave him a curt nod, an indication not of forgiving, but at least the promise of forgetting. Zeus nodded back. I knew things would never be right between them, but maybe they wouldn't be quite as bad.

I left the stormy mountain and returned to my Mother's home with a heavier heart than I would have though possible just mere days ago. The sight of so many dead plants added to my sorrow. But I was a Queen now with more god-power than I had ever had before.

As I walked through the woods again, flowers burst into bloom around me. Spring had come home.