Two

The days, full of fun, passed quickly. The four of us played games in the long grass, pouncing on each other and running wild. We crouched at the edge of the lake, searching for shiny pebbles or oddly shaped leaves. They braided shells into my hair, and we sang songs of gods and men to each other until our voices disappeared into the night. We took naps beneath the weeping willow there, and I told them stories of my mother upon waking. They told me their own tales of their nymph siblings living all across the land, and it was lovely.

It didn't take long for me to realize that the days had passed into weeks, and the weeks had merged into more than one month. Time had always passed differently for us immortals; days were like mere minutes, as eternity stretched out before us. The days passed like fleeting dreams, whispers of movement that vanished as soon as I blinked.

While not playing with the nymphs, I wandered the endless hills and meadows. I made flowers grow where I walked, just like my mother had taught me, in order to spread their beauty and sweet scent. I visited towns, planting trees and bushes; I helped struggling farmers by enriching their crops, though my mother was much better at it than I. Usually, I stuck to flowers. Flowers were my specialty.

There is just something so perfect about a flower. Flowers have entire lives of their own. For instance, lavender. Breathing deeply, the smell and the color itself is relaxing. They are the perfect listeners, as they never try to interrupt you and are always a comfort. Lilies, white as snow, are pure and there is something fragile about them when you hold them in your hands. They are smooth and unmarried by life's trivialities, like time and wealth; they are shy virgins. Daffodils are a cheerful yellow, bright and happy. They nod at you as you pass by, always polite and welcoming. Roses are red, lusty and rich with scent and color. They are the seducers of the plant world. Daisies are everyone's best friend, masquerading in a variety of colors. Nobody can stay mad at a daisy.

There is just so much that can be told from flowers. I could certainly relate to them, and respect them, more than I could for mortals. I always felt much closer to living things growing from the rich earth, than I did with gods and goddesses even. Except my mother. She always understood my love for things that grew. She cultivated it, just like she did her creations.

I created beauty. I created life. To me, that was more important and much more special than anything anyone could ever do. Just by looking at a flower, a person can feel their life has improved. Was that not godly?

I was happy. Missing my mother and longing to see her again, but happy with my nymph friends, experiencing life on my own for the very first time. Nothing could have ever shattered that for me.

"Persephone!"

I smiled, looking up from my berry-picking. Admete was swimming through the waters of the lake, only her head visible over the shimmering water. She rose from the water, tumbling towards me through the grass. She rolled to a stop right beside me, picking a handful of berries and popping them into her mouth. I watched with fascination as she bit down, dark juice dribbling down her chin.

It was a bright day, but cool and crisp with the promise of autumn. The nymph sisters had been swimming all morning, while I picked blackberries so the four of us could make wine later that evening.

"Yes, Admete?"

"Ianthe and I have decided that tonight, we shall have a celebration," She tugged on a strand of my hair, curling it around her finger as she chewed her berries. "We shall honor Dionysus with our festivities. Do you wish to join us?"

I rolled my eyes. "Need you even ask?"

She clapped her hands together, grinning widely and cackling with excitement. Her teeth were stained purple. "Oh, this is so wonderful! Come!" She quickly stood, wringing out her hair with her spindly fingers. "If we are to have a celebration, then we must collect flowers."

I frowned. "We must?"

She grabbed my wrist, yanking me to my feet. "Yes. We can finish the wine later, when the sun sets. Ianthe and Ianira can gather violets and roses, while you and I shall gather lilies and narcissus. It will be delightful!"

I wrinkled my nose. I was familiar with the narcissus bloom, and how it had come into being. It seemed to me that a flower that had been brought into the world on such vain purposes would not do well at our celebration. "Are you sure?" I asked, trotting after Admete. "Narcissus?"

"It's a celebration!" Admete insisted, racing through the long grass. "We must have narcissus! It is much too beautiful to pass up!"

"Yes, so I have heard," I grumbled dryly, sighing as I was pulled along after her into another wild scheme.

What a celebration it would be.

Watching, like a panther, stalking its prey from below. Black eyes shining like moonless pools beneath a starry sky. Fingers tightening, heart pounding.

Dimly, through the veil of life and death, he sees her. She stoops to pick a lily along the hill, smiling absently as she tucks it behind one ear. Her hand grazes her hair; those strands are finer than gold to his eyes. He can barely breathe as she stands like a proud spring rose, Helios glowing upon her form. She summons a new bloom to grow in the place of the lily she picked.

She is pure bliss. She is beauty, regal in her innocence. Her skin is as milky white as the lily tucked in her hair, and her smile just as bright as new-fallen snow. Her blue eyes are more vivid than the sky, more illustrious than any sapphire he could find. The lashes framing those sparkling gems are like spun coins; the sum of those riches are greater than any man or god could possibly have.

Desire sparks through his blood, lighting him on fire. Need drives him to lean closer, stroking the petals of his narcissus flower so that his gaze upon the living world widens. Instantly, he is smitten, his heart practically bursting with emotions he has not yet felt; it's a burning ember that he thinks may possibly be love. Could this be the brightness he so seeks, lost in darkness? Could she be the one to breathe life into his dead husk?

A voice rings out across the veil, one belonging to a figure he cannot see. "Persephone! Over here!"

The girl stands, turns, smiles, waves. His lips manage to twist into a smile, as he watches her run. Persephone. He knows of this girl. He knows who is her mother; the austere gaze of Demeter fills his mind. But he can't care. He is enthralled.

Before the day is through, she will be his. She will be his beloved. His queen.

"What is it, Admete?" I asked, spinning away down the hill, clutching a fistful of lilies. For every one that I plucked from the earth, I made a new one grow. It was the only way to effectively keep the balance of life and death, and it was one of the most valuable lessons my mother had ever taught me. When one takes, one must give back, or else the world will never thrive and the people will never learn.

Helios' heat stretched down from above, and I felt a drop of sweat trickle between my shoulder blades. I wiped at my back with my stray hand, wrinkling my nose at my damp chiton.

Admete was crouched on the ground, kneeling to pick narcissus. As I approached, I felt something pulling me, tugging me closer and closer to the humming nymph. It was a feeling like I had just plunged into freezing water, or I was walking towards a cliff with my hand over my eyes. A voice inside my ears whispered, begging me to come closer. I did as I was told, dropping to my knees.

I blinked, the light around us swelling and fading, intensifying and dimming. My head felt light. How had I suddenly gotten on the ground, beside Admete? I looked at her, but she appeared unaffected. She kept humming as she pulled on the delicate stems with her thin fingers. The flowers seemed to thrum and writhe in her hands.

Take one.

The voice was there again. As if I was a puppet on a string, my arm reached out, my fingers grasping for one of those frail blooms. My vision blurred, and for a split-second, I saw a flash of a face: deathly pale with marbled blue veins and black, empty eyes. My mouth opened in a silent gasp, but still, my hand moved towards the flower, even as the face vanished.

Just take one.

The petals were like silk against my fingers, and I cradled the bloom. It grew warm in my hand, as I leaned it over it. My hair fell like golden curtains around the sides of my face, shielding me from Admete. All I saw was that white haven, cupped in my hands. A prickling wave of fear melted down my spine. A sudden wave of cold descended over me, as the scene before me changed. I watched, horrified, as the bloom in my hands expanded until it was larger. A white hand, thin enough to be merely bone, shot through, grabbing my wrist.

I screamed, falling backwards. The ground in front of us opened, cracking into a great fissure. Black smoke spilled forth, billowing into the air, followed by four enormous black steeds. Their eyes blazed with fire, and their hooves stomped into the ground, searing the grass around them. They pulled an ebony chariot with gilded wheels, and standing there, leading the horses was the pale man, the one I had seen. The reins were clutched tightly in his bony fingers, and he looked down upon us with empty, black eyes set deep in his head. He appeared to me like a skeleton, the shadowy smoke twisting and writhing around him like a cloak.

Admete was screaming beside me, scrambling backwards through the grass, trying to pick herself up to run. Narcissus blooms fell through the air like leaves from a tree, spiraling and dropping among the soiled, burned grass. I fell, frozen, unable to move as I stared up at the sight before us.

Hades. The Lord of the Underworld, the Keeper of Lost Souls, was standing above us on his chariot, his horses pawing at the ground and snorting. He turned his gaze on me, and I felt the very life drain from my body. His eyes were on me, scrutinizing and searching. I felt as if he was depleting my soul.

His hair was long and lank, black as the foulest night, and dull even in the light of Helios. The hair on his face was wild and unkempt, and as he stepped down from his chariot, the look in his eyes was madness. His black chiton was fastened at his right shoulder with a silver brooch in the shape of a rams' skull, rubies set in its eyes. On his feet were boots of black leather that were scuffed and cracked. He walked towards me, each of his footprints turning the grass beneath to dust; patches of brown, dead soil littered the ground before me. His form blocked out Helios' light, as he towered over me.

I made no noise as he bent, and grabbed my arm. His hands were ice cold, sending shivers down my spine. In one fluid movement, he scooped me up, flinging me over his shoulder. Before I could react, the two of us were in the chariot, and he was snapping the reins.

"No," I mumbled, trying to pull away from him. His cold arms held me tight against his chest. I struggled harder, wiggling like a fish out of water. I scratched at his arms, at his chest, to no avail. "No. No!"

Admete lay on the ground, screaming and sobbing. I remember seeing her face, as she desperately grabbed handfuls of grass, ripping them from the earth. My heart felt like that grass; torn from its warm place, and flung free into the winds. I was being taken, and there was nothing either of us could do to stop it.

The horses whinnied, as the chariot turned. They leapt into the air, plunging back down into the large crack. The chariot followed, flying into the air. I screamed as loud as I could, even as the earth swallowed us whole.

Demeter paused, her head cocked to the left. She rose from her place on the ground, standing among the endless rows of corn. Her eyes strayed to the east, as a flock of calling birds took flight from a nearby tree on the edge of the fields. They dashed across the sky, in the opposite direction, towards the distant mountains.

She had been steadily making her way through the towns and villages in the past month, ensuring bountiful crops for those who were pious, and wilting the foods of those who thought she didn't hear their whispered slander. She spent most of her days among the mortals, bringing wealth to their table for another season. Most of them welcomed her among them with reverence and respect, and she was appreciative. Still, as much work as she got done, she never went a moment without thinking of her darling daughter.

A month had gone by already, and she had heard nothing from Persephone. Demeter worried often in the boundless hours. Was she okay? Were the nymphs treating her well? Was she staying out of trouble, like she had promised? Just one more month, Demeter thought to herself when the anxiety threatened to overtake her. One more month, and we shall be reunited.

Except… something was wrong. Demeter could feel it inside of her, in that way that she always could. Whether it was something to do with Persephone or someone else was another matter entirely…

The mortal who owned the farm was kneeling a few feet away, tucking ears of corn into a woven basket. He looked over at the goddess, frowning as he noticed her strange demeanor. "Is something amiss, my lady Demeter?"

She shook her head, gazing out across the land. "I… I feel something. Something isn't right…" She turned suddenly, squinting at the east. "There! Did you hear that?"

The farmer shook his head, standing as well. "No, my lady, I didn't." He glanced at her. "What is it? Is a storm coming?"

She shushed him, closing her eyes. She listened to the earth as it rumbled distantly beneath her bare feet. Spreading her arms and opening her hands so that her palms faced the sky, she could hear everything. Ants were crawling in the dirt around her toes; she could hear them speaking to each other with their antennae. The wind whistled, breathing through the boughs of the willow tree beyond the crops. In it was a nest full of hungry baby birds; each of their hearts beat with a rushing pulse, like a drunken dance to a pounding drum. She could feel the vibrations of all life around her, and as her spirit dived down into the earth, she searched for the one vibration that she was admittedly most concerned about.

Persephone… where are you, my child?

East. She was to the east. Demeter could feel her through the earth. She was kneeling on the ground. Flowers were being picked, and then growing back, springing up through the dirt as if they'd been there all along. Persephone was there, along with someone else. Someone whose knees were spindly and pointed, digging into the ground. A nymph, no doubt. Then…

There it was. The disturbance. Something had torn the earth open, cracking it like an egg. But what? Demeter frowned, focusing her energy on that place, so many miles away. Something dark and twisted. Her spirit reached out with one hand, touching at that place. She instantly recoiled, her entire body going cold. Death. That place had been tainted by death. Demeter's lip curled back in disgust.

"Hades."

"My lady?" The farmer was still there, biting his lip and looking unsure. His voice pulled Demeter back.

She closed her fists, opening her eyes. Scowled. "What does Hades think he is doing?" She murmured.

Then she heard it, even louder than before. Screaming. A scream, long and loud and eerie, and impossibly far away, echoing all the way to her ears. A familiar voice. Demeter's heart lurched in her chest, and her blood ran cold. Persephone.

"No…" She whispered. "No! Not my daughter!"

In a flash, she shifted into a bay mare, taking off at a gallop through the corn fields. The mortal stared after her, shocked and confused, his mouth gaping open like he was a fish. She made her way across the fields and valleys that she had visited already, speeding eastwards on her way. Love drove her, fueling her even when she grew tired. She galloped for miles, the wind dragging its way through her mane. Brambles and burrs caught on her legs, sticking in her tail, and still she pressed on.

Persephone… what has happened to you, my child?

Hecate, goddess of witches, watched from her seat atop a boulder as the mare tore past, galloping so fast that a wind blew in her wake. Too fast for a normal mare, the goddess thought. She looked down at her hound companion, the alpha male of the pack that she traveled with. "Kyrillos, what do you make of that?"

The hound snorted, sitting up. He blinked at her with his intelligent amber eyes, and she could read what he was thinking as he met her gaze.

Hecate nodded, dropping a hand to pet his head. "Yes, I think so too. The only question is… where is the lady Demeter off to in such a hurry?"

Only one would truly know. Hecate glanced up at the golden light that was already starting to fade. "Wait here," She told Kyrillos. He dipped his head in a nod, laying down beside the boulder she was seated on.

Hecate closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Calling her magick forth, she shifted into a sleek raven. Flapping her wings, she soared into the afternoon sky, beating her wings hard against the air currents. Calling to announce herself, she flew up to where Helios was driving his mighty team of golden horses across the sky. He watched as she flew up beside him, hovering.

He tossed his golden hair out of his glowing eyes, smiling brightly at her. "Greetings, Hecate! You're in the skies much earlier than usual. How may I assist you, Dark Lady?"

"The lady Demeter," Hecate replied. "She was a horse, darting across the land faster than any I have ever seen. You see all as you make your daily journey across the heavens. Pray tell, what was she running from? Or to?"

Helios' face fell. Looking uncomfortable, he said, "I have seen the events below. But I do not know that I should share them with your ears."

"Zeus has named me one of his fortunate favorites, Helios. If I must, I shall go to him."

He recognized her threat, and bowed his head politely. "You need not go to such lengths, Hecate. I shall tell you." Helios sighed, as one of his steeds neighed loudly. "Earlier this afternoon, I spied the bright Persephone picking narcissus blooms with the nymph Admete. They were in the midst of a celebration to Dionysus with Admete's sisters, Ianthe and Ianira. They were interrupted."

"By whom?"

"Hades, Lord of the Underworld. As you know, Dark Lady, the narcissus blooms are his sacred flowers. He sprang out of the ground with his chariot and his hellish horses, and abducted the maiden Persephone!" Helios' face was mournful. "Demeter heard but the echoes of her screams, and as fast as she may gallop, I am afraid she is far too late."

Hecate's heart sank. "Thank you, Bright One. I shall leave you now to your journey."

Helios nodded, guiding his chariot away. Hecate let herself float down through the sky, until she was once more upon the earth. She shifted back into her usual form, anxiously rubbing her hands together. Her black hair blew in a noiseless wind, and she imagined she could hear the innocent Persephone's screams as she was dragged to the Underworld.

Hecate blew out a breath, looking at Kyrillos. "Trouble is on the horizon, pet. A storm is coming."

Lifting her head, she sent out a thought on the winds, gathering her magick in her hands and sending the energy out in waves across the land. It was invisible to all eyes but hers.

Hades, dear friend of mine, what have you done?