The walk down the stairs seemed to take an eternity. Kore didn't think it possible for the stairway to be so long, but it kept going and going and going. It never seemed to end. As she was walking down the stairs, there was one instance where a stone came loose and nearly sent her toppling down the rest of the way. Luckily for her, Kore caught herself, only now realizing that if she had fallen the rest of the way, she very well could've been dead by the time she reached the bottom. Sure, she was immortal and technically could not die, but that did not mean she couldn't be injured.

After some time, Kore finally reached the bottom of the stairs. She took a moment to straighten herself out. She smoothed out her dress, fixed her hair as best she could, and arranged the hyacinths that were still in her basket as best she could. She had lost some and crushed some on her little tumble, so she made sure the fresh one were the most noticeable. She had no idea whom she would meet down here, but her mother taught her to look presentable and approachable.

Kore looked around at her surroundings, noticing the vast cave like appearance of the place. She wanted to tell herself that this was just an ordinary cave, but it was too far underground the be just a cave. Not to mention, the wide river before her with the empty dock looked suspicious in and of itself.

As Kore walked up to the dock, she noticed in the river. Perfectly clear, but also pure black. She knew immediately, upon seeing a small boat with a single figure within heading towards her, that this was the River Styx and she had found the entrance to Hades. Delight filled Kore's thoughts. She had never been to the Underworld, but she heard stories of it no doubt. She had even heard of Hades himself; he was never seen above the surface unless he had urgent business to discuss with Zeus and the rest of the Olympian council. Kore had only been to Olympus a few times with her mother so she had never been there when Hades was. She knew there were many gods she had yet to meet, but found it peculiar that someone as important as Hades, Zeus's very own brother, had never made an appearance before her.

When the boat finally arrived to the dock, the ferryman looked at Kore with bewilderment, but said nothing. Kore climbed aboard the boat and offered the ferryman a hyacinth from her basket.

"Can you take me across the river?" she asked. The ferryman nodded and took the flower, tucking it beneath his black cloak that covered nearly his entire body. The hood of the cloak was pulled over the ferryman's head, so Kore could not see his face.

The boat took off across the river. There were benches in the boat on which Kore could sit, but she decided to stand for she was too far entranced by her surroundings. All in all, the place was terribly dismal. The walls were lit by torches, but they were few and far between. No other light sources seemed present, which made sense considering how this was the Underworld; the most secluded place from earth and heaven there was. The place, too, was a lot larger than Kore originally thought. At the entrance, it was just a vast opening above water, but as she traveled farther along the river, she could see everything.

The boat finally stopped in front of a large gate. It took Kore a moment to realize this is where she was meant to get off. She bowed to the ferryman and thanked him, and as soon as she stepped off the boat, it was moving again, heading back to the entrance. Kore watched for a moment as the boat left, readjusted her wits, nodded her head with confidence, and turned towards the gate. As she got closer, she noticed a large dog standing in front of the gate. It got clearer and clearer the closer she got and she could swear it hadn't been there before. Surely this monstrous dog (with three heads, she noted, not noticing the other two before) must be a mirage set by Hades to scare newcomers. The dog was perfectly still, staring straight ahead. When Kore finally came close enough to the dog to pet it, all three heads came down to look directly at her.

Kore jumped back, not expecting the dog to move. She smiled through her lack of confidence and held out one of her hands.

"H-hello," she began, "I hope you don't mind, but I would like to pass through please."

The dog gave no response and continued to stare at her. As Kore went to pet the center head, it snapped at her hand. Retreating and taking another jump backwards, Kore bowed low. Perhaps the dog wished only to be treated as any other deity, but lacked the words to say so.

All of a sudden, she could feel herself being nudged in the side. She looked up to notice the head on her right rubbing against her. With hesitation, she put her hand on the dog's head and scratched gently behind it's ear. The other two heads of the dog seemed almost jealous, and were nudging her as well, the center head snapping at the one on the right.

Kore smiled and continued to pet the other heads of the dog. The gigantic body of the dog played down in front of her and wagged it's tail, causing a loud thump and a slight shake of the ground every time it hit the floor. Kore stayed there for a while just sitting and petting the dog. She loved animals and was grateful every time one allowed her to befriend it. She finally stood up, dusted off her gown, and bowed again to the dog.

"I really must be going. Do you mind if I pass through?"

The dog laid its heads on the ground and the gates behind it opened. Kore smiled to herself and petted each head once more.

"Thank you," she whispered.

After walking around the dog, Kore stepped through the gates and noticed how they closed behind her once she was through. It seemed as though everything in this place was trying to keep her from going back once she proceeded. That didn't matter now, though. She was't trying to go back, so there was no issue with the ay back being blocked off. She looked ahead, noticing two different paths. One led straight ahead while the other veered to the left. She chose the path straight ahead, walking along the narrow pathway that seemed to lead to the brilliant, yet erie looking palace in the distance. Kore just knew this was where Hades took residence and she was curious to see how the inside of the palace compared to the outside. She didn't know Hades, so she could assume one of two things. Either the decor of the palace was just like the Underworld, gloomy and maybe a bit unkempt. Or, perhaps, Hades took great pride in making the interior of his palace as regal and elegant as he possibly could. It all depended on whether his goal was to frighten of impress the rare visitors that would surely stop by.

Either way, Kore took notice of her immediate surroundings. There was nothing particular about the area; surrounding her was dried, dead looking grass and a black paved pathway. What really peaked her interest was the large door she was approaching. It seemed to just sit there by itself, seemingly unattached from any sort of wall. The walls were present, however, only camouflaged into the surroundings. They stretched so far down either side of the door, they disappeared. Kore could only imagine what was to be found beyond the door. She knew this was not the entrance to Hades's palace. What then could it lead to?

Kore decided to knock against the door. Her mother always told her to be polite. It was rude to just open a door and walk through. Even if one was a goddess, she still had the obligation to respect another's privacy.

The sound of Kore's hand against the smooth wood of the door rang out around her. She didn't knock that loudly, but the door seemed to amplify the sound.

Moments passed before the door finally swung open. Looking in, Kore could see nothing. The inside was completely dark,a recurring theme in the Underworld, Kore noticed. Hades seemed to be fond of the dark. Either that or he was simply trying to convey the mood that the Underworld resonated. Kore had heard stories from her mother about the three brothers Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Hades was the eldest, so it would seem fair that he be deemed the king of the gods. However, after the Titan War, the three brothers decided to draw lots on the division of the world. Zeus got the sky and the heavens, therefore making him the king, Poseidon got the sea, and Hades the Underworld. Demeter had told Kore once that Hades had once been a kind god, but once he was placed in the Underworld, he grew bitter. Kore couldn't blame him, though. This place was so dark and dreary, it was hard to imagine anyone being happy here if they were forced to live here.

Taking a deep breath, Kore recollected her thoughts, and walked through the door. She could see nothing, so decided to walk straight. After what seemed to be a lifetime, she was finally stopped in her tracks by a glowing figure standing before her. She said nothing and bowed.

"What a strange phenomenon," the figure said. He was an older looking man dressed as a mortal king would. Kore stood up and looked at the glowing man. He had to be a mortal spirit. It seemed unlikely to her that he could be anything else.

Kore bowed her head once more before speaking. "I am Kore, daughter of Demeter-"

"I know exactly who you are," the man interrupted with a grimace. "It's not every day one of the gods decides to visit."

"I'm not visiting," Kore said hurriedly. She was afraid of being interrupted again. "I found the entrance up on the earth. I… don't know why I'm here."

"Neither do we, that's for certain."

Kore hesitated for a moment, trying to comprehend just who this spirit was. "Who are you," she said slowly, "and what are you?"

The spirit before her laughed. It wasn't a laugh of humor, but a cruel, ironic sort of laugh.

"I am one of the three judges of the dead," he began, "I deal with the more difficult cases. And you, my dear, are a difficult case."

Kore said nothing, only stared in disbelief. She was a goddess. Was it really possible for her to be judged and placed among the dead?

"You have many questions, I'm sure. All will be answered in due time."

"Might I at least know your name?" Kore demanded. She had a sinking suspicion who it was she was dealing with, but she wanted to know for sure.

The man sighed then gave a cruel smile.

"I am the first king of Crete," the man mused, "known as Minos."