Heres Chapter 3
Enjoy :)
DISCLAIMER: I obviously do not own Greek Mythology :P Harvey Brown is RedFluffyBanana's character (i do have her permission to use him)
As if Harvey's thought had snapped her out of a trance, Demeter suddenly looked up, her eyes returning to their original colour, her aura brightened and the room became warmer. Harvey realised he had been holding his breath and gladly gulped the fresh air down his throat.
"I'm sorry to have frightened you" Demeter apologised "but just thinking about what happened makes my blood boil"
"It . . . its ok" Harvey stuttered. Demeter laughed, the sound filling the room, almost brightening it. It reminded Harvey of Artemis' laughter, which was equally enchanting, proof that this was no ordinary being in front of him, but a majestic goddess.
"You cannot hide your fear from me" Demeter smiled "I find it amusing how men always try to put on a brave face and pretend they are not afraid, when just moments ago your face showed that you were terrified. But do not fear mortal, I shall not harm you. I would not kill you when I think you may help me, and I also promised Artemis I would not hurt you."
"Thank you" Harvey said "Anyway, shall we continue, I would like to here more about you daughter if that is alright"
"Of course" Demeter said "But I warn you, it is not a pleasant tale. One day, when Kore was picking flowers in a meadow, the most horrible thing happened. She was abducted by Hades. You see Hades had fallen in love with her, and asked Zeus if he could marry her. Zeus should have flat out refused, but instead he neither gave nor withheld his consent, and allowed Hades to kidnap my poor daughter."
Harvey's hand was beginning to ache from making notes, but this was vital information that he had to write down:
- Kore: Demeter- mother; Zeus- father/uncle
- Severe distress caused by loss of child
- Problems caused by Hades falling in love with own niece
- Sibling relationships broke down; hostility towards brother Hades for abducting Kore; angry at brother Zeus for not preventing abduction
"For a long while I didn't know exactly what had happened to Kore" Demeter continued her story "I searched the land looking for her, searching for a clue as to what might have happened to her. It was a very distressing time for me. Eventually I discovered Hades' betrayal. My own brother had taken my daughter away from me! I became very angry. I refused to let anything grow until I got my Kore back, and being goddess of the harvest, the crops and trees obeyed my will. The lands turned barren and desolate and no amount of begging from Zeus would change my mind. Eventually Zeus sent Hermes, messenger of the gods, down to the underworld to retrieve my daughter."
- slightly insane – will do anything to get own way, including wipe out humanity
Harvey tried to keep his thoughts away from what he was writing. He didn't want Demeter to grow angry and kill him, despite her promise to Artemis. Luckily Demeter didn't seem to notice and continued with her story.
"When Kore was returned to me I was overjoyed. I held her in my arms and cried with happiness, but my joy was not to last. Kore had eaten pomegranate seeds, and Zeus had told me that Kore could only return to me if she had not eaten or drunk anything in the underworld. Upon hearing this I grew more dejected and refused to remove my curse from the land, or even to return to Olympus. Of course the gods were not happy about that, and eventually, after much debate, we came to a compromise. Kore would spend half the year with me, and half the year in the underworld with Hades. Of course when Kore was with me I was happy and let the crops grow and everything was green and beautiful. But then when the time came for her to return to the underworld I became depressed again, for I cannot bear life without my darling daughter, and I once again refused to let anything grow. Mortals call this cycle the seasons. Spring and Summer is when Kore is with me. Autumn and Winter is when she returns to Hades and becomes Persephone, queen of the underworld. But please don't call her Persephone around me, her name is Kore when she's with me and that's how it should be"
- Very controlling, over-bearing and over-protective of daughter, why so depressed in autumn/winter? Can she not write to her daughter? Question: do the gods have email?
- many problems within family – Marriage of Hades and Persephone/Kore created problems
- confusing relationships:
- Persephone: Hades- uncle and husband; Zeus- father, uncle and brother-in-law??; Demeter- mother and sister-in-law??!
- Zeus and Demeter become Hades' mother-in-law and father-in-law?? And they become Persephone's brother-in-law and sister-in-law
- conclusion: messed up family tree!
- Another question: if this season's theory is correct, then why is half the year in summer while half the year is in winter?
This last question that Harvey noted down was soon to be answered. Just as he finished the question mark, he saw Demeter's eyes close and her head drop. He paused, unsure of what to do, when Demeter's head suddenly snapped back up, looking at Harvey, eyes full of confusion.
"Who are you?" she asked