It's in the little things.

We gods had a tendency to overlook and underestimate certain matters. Once in every millennium, we were bound to make our own share of mistakes. Today was one of them.

Today, or more specifically, yesterday, I had made a mistake.

I had risen early out of a voluntary desire to get this proposition over with. A part of me still regretted to have made such rash decision, but then, Poseidon would have stopped at nothing for me to agree; so taking everything into account—all were the same. I did nothing out of my usual routine. I clothed myself respectably with my usual dark robes. Cerberus licked my hand and I patted his head gently with a promise of my return. He growled at Charon when he saw the boatman's advancing towards us.

"The boat is ready, sire." Cerberus growled at him. I patted the beast before kissing him on the brink of his nose goodbye.

The term boat was a great understatement for the marvelous sea craft that rested in the banks of the river Styx. Charon led me in its inner ports but I opted to remain on the deck. The boatman, the ferryman or as I prefer to call him, Charon was an old but respectable fellow garbed in an admiral suit. It was a fashion which I knew from the Fates wouldn't be agreeable to the world for a few more centuries. He wore his gray moustache neatly above his thin lip and spoke very little.

The trip from the Underworld palace to the main entrance through the River Styx was long and dreadful. It was composed of a seemingly endless ride on a ship big enough to accommodate a town in a sea of blue and red flames. I did not feel an inch of exhaustion though, nor did loneliness of missing company affect me. Though Charon and I were the only ones aboard, my mind was preoccupied by the endless possibilities of my meeting with Persephone. I was neither nervous nor excited. Though I must admit, I was curious.

I wanted to see for myself whether Poseidon was speaking the truth—if she really had changed.

My mind drifted to the occurrences of the past. I would be lying if I claim myself unaffected by her thought of me. In the end of it, she was still my niece and her opinion—though I asked her none—mattered to me. It did not necessarily mean that I would go through various lengths to redeem myself, but familial relations always ought to be stable.

When we landed, there was party of lost souls waiting for the ferry. In my realms, the concept of time was nonexistent. We were neither early nor late. Our arrival was neither celebrated nor applauded, though the Lord's presence was acknowledged. They bowed as I came close. I nodded as a sign of confirmation. Their faces were turned hastily towards the vessel of their salvation to a blessed afterlife. I turned mine to the light from above. From where the souls entered and from where I now stood was a large looming opening. The sun's rays kissed the hardened cheeks of my face. I felt lighter and seconds later, I heard the birds' melodies serenading the open airs...

I was now in the expanse of Mother Earth.

From here, I saw all of what was worth seeing in the world above. The life, the vibrancy, the colors—it took me only a moment to remember and it took me only a whiff of the faint smell of roses to realize that I had not forgotten anything at all, try as I might. It was a moment of recognition to me—a most baffling second it was—that somehow amidst all of what seemed to be pleasant in the earth, my consciousness looked for a certain goddess of emerald eyes and bronze curls. Surprised, I searched for Persephone—thinking that maybe, she was at hand. She wasn't.

I did not know what disturbed me more; her nonappearance or the fact that I was expecting her to belong with all of what seemed good and fair in the world above.

I dismissed her from my thoughts only to return to her after my consciousness reminded me that she was the reason I surfaced. That I should not be surprised nor find it uncharacteristic of me to seek her, for Poseidon sought my assistance to talk to her. I should not be ashamed to be sent by the god of the seven seas.

What I thought would be a quick and easy visit was prolonged for the sole fact that I couldn't find the earth goddess anywhere. I thanked myself for being a plain dresser. Moving was not as difficult as it would be wearing the usual intricate robes which other gods had the habit of using. Though I did not think of mortals as lowly creatures, I did my best not to be seen. The sight of Death was something which humanity would never get accustomed to. They feared it for they valued their individual beings as living objects. If only they knew the joys of the undead: controlled weathers, enough food and shelter, insusceptibility from disease and pain…

I walked down paths which were unfamiliar to me, following where the whispers of the wind ordered me to. It was strange and yet somehow I knew I was going in the right direction. I was coming towards her, might I make a mistake in presuming it would be an easy hunt. I would not be in the wrong this time.

I was right, and the universe would have to wait for another millennium to prove me wrong.

She was in the open fields as I thought her to be, under the sun's mercy and the clouds' reign. Her back was turned from me and yet I know it was she. Her arms were spread apart, her head bent backwards as if awaiting a call from the heavens. There was a slight grumble, the blue skies turned to gray. Slowly raindrops began to fell. Cheers were heard from all sides. The crowds revealed themselves. People rejoiced.

Truthfully, it was enchanting to look at.

I remained in my place, watching from afar how the townspeople danced happily around her. I knew she was loved. Today she brought them the hope of a good harvest caused by an early change of weather. Tomorrow, I dared not guess what she'd do. I stood there, shuddering until—at that certain moment where my downfall would begin—she came across my figure. From the distance, she smiled at me and let the people say their thanks.

It was already nightfall when we saw each other face to face.

Her worshippers had prepared a bonfire in her glory. They'd be singing her name till morning, if I remembered correctly the customs of humanity. The elders took notice of me that afternoon. Perhaps, it was due to their old age, that they no longer feared death. They convinced me to have a change of dress. "A god ought to remain his dignity." Their kindness compelled me to stay. They handed me a silk robe in the colors of the earth and though I'd worn nicer clothes, I must admit they were comfortable to wear.

Persephone came to me wearing a dress in a dark shade of green. There was a look of nonchalant surprise in her face that, I guess, was only equal to mine. It was our first time seeing each other outside our traditional colors. We looked at each other as if there was a new identity in front of us.

"You haven't aged at all, milord." Her voice broke the trance.

Aging, what was it, really? I had seen Zeus and Demeter grew older centuries after centuries, and yet I could not say the same for Hera, Poseidon and myself. The fates had mentioned it once to me. A god aged differently from human beings, and once a god had achieved full emotional maturity to withstand our endless years of existence, we would stop aging altogether.

"And you have aged quite nicely, Persephone."

She looked different now. Still beautiful—but different. I could not distinguish it, perhaps it was in the way she curved her smile or the way she voiced her words but it was unusual. I had a feeling that this would be her appearance for the rest of her lifetime. Of course, this was only a presumption.

"I'm sorry for having drenched you earlier, milord. Had I known you were coming I would've—"

"There is nothing to apologize for doing your duty to the earth, Persephone."

"Ah, had only mother thought the same." She threw her head back at a small angle and released a small chuckle.

"And why would she not?" I asked with a raised brow.

"It's still too early for the rains to come, milord. Mother would forgive me but Apollo would certainly be furious."

"You don't seem to mind his anger."

"I've braved harsher tempers." I was silenced, thinking of a long forgotten memory.

It took us moments to continue the conversation. The light from the bonfire accented her developed frame and made her dark chestnut curls glow under the night skies.

"I came here for a reason, Persephone."

"Surely, I don't consider myself lucky enough to have you visit me under no reason, uncle." I flinched. "So what brings you here, milord?"

"Poseidon called on me."

"Uncle always calls on you, milord."

"He rarely visits, Persephone, and this I say in due honesty." I took her aside by the arm to make space for the running children that had now found a playground near us. Their parents were too busy with the bonfire to pay attention. The eldest among them apologized, but refused to accept defeat in their game. They continued frolicking about us, until finally, I suggested. "May we walk?"

I offered my arm. She accepted without complaint, we walked for a while before finally settling ourselves near a brook. The bonfire was still within sight. We had not gone that far.

"You're worrying your mother, Persephone, and your Uncle Poseidon is also quite concerned."

"Of my being or of mother?"

"It's safe to assume that it's both." She held my arm neither too tight nor too loose, and yet it felt like I was walking with a piece of floating cloth. "I've been told that you're being difficult nowadays."

"Difficult?" She looked at me with incredulity as if what I was telling her was meant as a jest. "Milord, you do understand that what I'm doing is for the people my mother oppressed?"

"Poseidon failed to inform me of that."

"Uncle Poseidon is afraid that I'm overexerting myself." She sighed loftily. "And mother chooses to be blind to the sufferings of mankind on her doing. Did you know that those people haven't had the usual course of rain for the past months? And yet, mother insists that schedules must be followed."

"I would like to think that your mother won't intentionally starve people, Persephone." Though Demeter did have a history of doing so—best not to mention it tonight to her daughter.

"No, indeed. She forgot the rain rations while she was busy accepting Apollo's compliments." She pressed my arm. I turned to look but her gaze was directed towards the river and not to me. "I love my mother, milord. Do not get me wrong, but I'm not obligated to live in her shadow nor will I follow her example."

"I do think you're better off if you didn't."

I gazed at the riverbed. Persephone seemed like a different character in forest green. She seemed stronger, more mature if not more knowledgeable. She wasn't like the Persephone whom I scolded a thousand and twenty days ago who needed guidance and counsel from an older individual. She was her own person now. Able to stand for her beliefs and abide by her decisions, and if needed, was ready to against what she thought wasn't right. I looked at myself dressed in lush green and azure blue, I smiled.

"You're different now, Persephone. Difficult but different." The cold wind blew from East.

"Was that meant to be an insult or a compliment, milord?" She took her arm away from me and rubbed her arms.

"It's neither. It's simply a statement of a fact." I offered her my outer robe leaving me with a plain white shirt. "You're cold."

"Please, do not bother." She shook her head."You're the Lord of the Underworld."

"I'm your uncle." I draped it over her small form. "And I share Poseidon's concerns."

"I'm the goddess of spring, milord." There was something in the way she spoke of her title that told me she was capable of proving that she was far more than what she was. "Making up for my mother's insufficiency is part of the ordeal."

"You do this often, don't you? Saving the people's harvest and all? This isn't exclusive to Greece?"

"I have worshippers in Asia, and they call in different names—what their tongues saw fit, what their language would allow. They love me all very much the same."

"Do not overexert yourself, Persephone."

"I've been spoiled from childhood, milord." She smiled and pulled the robe closer to her. "I think it's my time to give back."

"Perhaps, but you aren't spoiled."

"Uncle Poseidon overreacted on this."

"Your mother complains to him frequently."

"She'll get used to my disappearances eventually."

"Ah, but that would be a very long time."

"I have an obligation milord," She looked at me earnestly, "to the people who pray to me."

"I also have an obligation, Persephone." I faced her with conviction, "to Poseidon, I gave him my word."

"I will take care of myself, milord."

"Very well, then." She barely reached my shoulders. I had the feeling that regardless of how many years time would add in her lifespan, our height differences would always remain that way."Prove it."

"I shall."

She turned away from me and walked towards the glow of the bonfire. Under the dark heavenly skies, I watched her walk away. The dark chestnut tendrils flowed behind her back. The movements of her hips were not unnoticed by the added covering of the borrowed robe. I felt the gush of wind against my pale skin. I shuddered and wished I had not been the kind of gentleman to lend her my coat.

College took me by the leash and dragged me by the neck. I have no excuse. Getting education these days is tough.

Thank you for bearing with me.

Love,
Ms. Reen