Add a little more sugar...

The next day, I decided to have my usual agenda. My morning was spent in the Underworld's throne room wherein I sat for hours deciding on which of the souls deserved to go to Elysian Fields and which souls were destined to go to Tartarus. Humanity was a fickle species unlike the beasts that roamed freely in the earth and the birds that soared endlessly in the skies. Their characters were greatly different. Their natures were unpredictable. There were times when they made me question my beliefs. There were certain moments that I was forced to look back on specific cases that I was compelled to study carefully.

Once I was done, I decided to take another trip to the surface.

The earth was welcoming an early evening. The wind blew me westward. I was nothing but a mere follower. A pleasant surprise greeted me in a forsaken field of daffodils. Eris was there, singing to herself an old human hymn which I never bothered to remember. She looked like a mortal child under the light of moon—young, restless and barely fourteen years of age.

"How could one be so heartless to call her the goddess of discord?" A voice from behind me said. I did not bother to look. There was no need for it. I already knew who it was. "What brings you here out in the open milord? Sight-seeing?"

Persephone

"How I wish I could afford the luxury of doing so but no." We were back to our usual colors. My black robes were richly in contrast to the paleness of my skin. Her white dress emphasized the bronze curls that flowed majestically behind her. "I'm here under the request of a dear brother to look after a certain niece."

"That is entirely unnecessary because that certain niece of whom you speak of is fully capable of taking care of herself."

"There is no harm in making sure of it." She smiled amusedly. Her graze went forth to the field of daffodils and straight to youngest of the gods, Eris. Her smile slowly faltered. Her lips went from a curve to a line. "You know, milord. Eris is a good girl. It's unfair for her to be given such a horrendous title."

Eris, the goddess of discord.

"I do believe all persons, may he or she be a god or a mortal, are born equally and naturallygood." I sighed and looked at her though she was still lost in thought. "It is what he or she chooses to do with his or her given life that ultimately dictates a person's destiny."

"Eris hadn't done anything despicable in her life, and I do not even see how she can, when she's barely of age." There was a hint of anger in her voice. Her brows were furrowed together. "Why must she pay for a punishment she does not even deserve?"

"The past could not easily be forgotten, Persephone. Eris had done quite a number of things that had greatly displeased the Olympian gods."

"Most of which were forgivable offenses, milord. She was the youngest among them, what did they expect?"

"They did not what know to expect. They see her not as how we do. They treat her differently for they know not the impulses of a child."

"How can they be so cruel to the princess of the Olympus? Have they forgotten her parentage?"

"Her parents cannot protect her forever. It was only a matter of time before the other gods demanded Hera and Zeus' neutrality over the subject of their daughter."

"And what viable reason can they have to ask such a demand?"

"Conflict of interest."

I could see the fierceness in her eyes as she looked at me. "This is unfair for her."

"Perhaps what they say is true," The wind blew harder. I squinted to get a view clearer view of the young goddess playing in the fields by herself. "Perhaps life was not meant to be fair."

"That is a very depressing conclusion." She started to tread through the wild blossoms under our feet. I followed her closely but let her take the lead. "There are gods in the heavens, in the seas, in the earth and even down below and yet, here we are, ruled by the universal laws of the world we say we rule in."

We continued to walk towards Eris. The young goddess was puzzled at first on seeing the both of us together, but this was overridden by the fact that she was indeed excited to see Persephone and I, individually, again. She welcomed us in warm hugs and small kisses. She was fully animated and spoke with enthusiasm. She told us her stories with an excited zeal. Persephone sat beside me. There was a forlorn smile gracing her pretty face. Eris offered to sing us a hymn—it was a smooth and peaceful melody, and I could smile to myself contentedly at the thought that this scene could easily be repeated.

It's been too long, people. I feel like I'm losing my touch. Do leave a review. I'll do my best to post the next chapter after a week. How I miss the fandom!

Love,
Ms. Reen