Three
I was dead. I had closed my eyes against what felt like a storm, my hair whipping lethally around my face. A rush of sound swooped over me, encompassing and deafening; a combination of my own screams and a crunching sound as the earth closed itself up again. Now it was dark. Endlessly dark. Never in my life had I known such a blackness. It was cold. I could no longer feel my limbs.
I shivered. I was dead. There was no other explanation for the pain in my heart, and the cold that consumed me. A corpse. A living corpse.
"You're not a living corpse."
It wasn't until I heard the deep voice behind me that I released I had spoken aloud. Hades continued, "You aren't dead, Persephone, but we are in the Underworld. Do not panic. There is merely a moment where we must pass through Erebus, and he shall eventually fade into the realm that I preside over."
Erebus. The blackness that separated the living from the dead. The curtain that shielded the two realms from one another. That period of seemingly forever black and silence. Nothingness. Cold emptiness. It seemed to swallow me, until I was nothing but a speck within it.
Eventually, after what seemed like a lifetime, the curtain of darkness pulled back, revealing a muddy shore of black sand. Above us were stalactites larger than any temple a mortal man could construct, bigger even than some of the pillars atop the home peak of Olympus. They dripped with water, down into the rushing River Styx that loomed before us. My heart remained frozen in my chest, unaffected as Hades drove his chariot over the river entirely, bypassing the motionless form of Charon, the ferryman, who was waiting there on the water's edge. Hades drove the chariot past, over the water itself. I stared at Charon's hooded form until he fell from sight, dissipating into the thick mist that surrounded us.
Styx was wide, but the journey took mere moments using Hades' chariot. We passed through the mist like shadows, until we were on the other side. Black, metal gates rose in front of us, ascetic and daunting. An intricate metal ram's skull served as the padlock, wrapping silver chains around the gates, blocking the way. That, however, was not what caught my attention.
Sitting to the side of the gates was a massive, three-headed dog. Its six ears pricked at the sound of the horses' hoof beats, and it rose from sleep. It was coated in thick, gray fur, but patches were thin, or missing, exposing muscles and bone. Its large yellow eyes were sleepy, and one of its heads yawned, exposing dripping jaws and enormous, blood-stained teeth. If Hades hadn't been holding me up, I would have fallen down from shock. Cerberus. The guardian of the Land of the Dead. Hades whistled as the chariot approached, and Cerberus leapt to his feet. His tail wagged, and he jumped about excitedly.
Hades stopped the chariot, reaching for his right shoulder. He yanked the brooch off with one hand, holding his chiton with the other. He raised the brooch until it was level with the enormous padlock on the gate. The skeletal rams' eyes on the padlock filled with a glowing red light, as suddenly the chains hummed. They slithered back like snakes, sliding off of the gates, allowing them to creak open. Hades fixed his brooch back in place, twitched the reins, and we were off again.
As the two of us wheeled past, the enormous dog let out a mournful whine. Hades sighed, looking past me and towards Cerberus. "I know. I'll be back soon."
With six sad eyes, Cerberus laid back down, folding his paws and huffing out a sigh. The gates remained open as we passed through them, and I knew that if anyone else were to enter, they would first have to make their way past the sulking, three-headed behemoth that lived only to protect and serve the Lord of the Underworld.
The black sand faded into gray dirt. A road stretched on before us, until it passed beyond what I could physically see. To our left, it branched off at the base of a hill, and Hades guided the four horses that way.
Everything around me was colorless and faded. The dirt beneath the wheels was a dull gray, as were the strange clouds that hovered below the stalactites, acting as a makeshift sky. Rocks and dry shrubs lined the road, but they were black. What I thought was snow falling from the sky turned out to be soot; it smeared like smoke on my skin. The air was thick and still, with no wind to speak of, and hardly any light. The place was just… barren. Desolate.
When we reached the top of the hill, I gasped aloud. The Hall of Hades was gargantuan, standing proudly like a temple. Braziers filled with purple fire lit our way, stretching to the black stone stairs that led inside. Simple black columns were twisted with thorns, as forbidding as they were hauntingly lovely. Before the stairs themselves was a small courtyard of broken stone, surrounded on all sides by statues, with a fountain as the centerpiece. Brackish water fell from the fountain, a thick sludge that slopped over the sides. The statues encircling the courtyard were grotesque, their faces twisted with demonic fangs and horns, their bodies contorted into animalistic shapes. I felt as if their eyes were following me, boring into my back.
Finally, the chariot rolled to a complete stop in front of the steps. A hooded figure slithered down the steps of the Hall, taking the chariot as Hades jumped down and lifted me from it. The mysterious figure hopped in, taking the reins and driving the horses around to the left, disappearing behind the edge of the stone wall. I kept staring, waiting for him to reappear, even as Hades gently tugged me up the stairs.
His hand was on mine. I pulled away from him, folding my arms tightly across my chest. My heart was racing with fear, and I could barely breathe. Now that the shock was wearing off, I was panicking. Why? Why had he brought me here? I hesitantly followed him into the vestibule of the Hall, unsure of what else I could do.
"You need not fear anything while you remain here," Hades said, his voice rumbling across the Hall. The stone seemed to rumble in reply, like a distant thunder that I knew wasn't truly there. He wouldn't look at me. Instead, he turned and pointed down the wide corridor. "Your rooms are at the end, on the right. You will find everything you need there."
"Rooms?" I croaked, horrified. "I need no rooms! Take me back to the surface! Release me!"
Hades shook his head. "That I cannot do. What's done has been done."
"What has been done? Why am I here?"
Hades spoke the words as if they were obvious from the start. "To be my bride, of course. We shall wed, and you will reign as the Queen of the Underworld."
Queen of the Underworld. When I had told my mother I had wanted to experience the world, I hadn't meant this. I could never have dreamt this, not in my wildest nightmares. Was this my destiny: to be stolen away, to become the eternal bride of the Hades? A wilted flower in a land of lifeless things? As he turned his eyes upon me, all I could think of was my mother, and how because of one silly argument, I would never see her again.
What's done has been done. Be my bride.
The floor rushed up to meet my eyes, turning over and in on itself. My stomach plunged, and I crumpled to the floor, the entire world fading to black behind my closed eyes.
Hades caught Persephone just in time, scooping her up before she fell to the stone floor. She was limp and light in his arms, and he easily carried her down to the corridor to the apartments he had set aside for her. Gently, he set her down on the wide bed that he had placed in there for her. He reached out to brush the hair off of her face, and stopped himself. Before, her hair had been a bright gold. Now, it was a dull black, stained by Erebus' dark fingers.
Already I have tainted her.
He closed his fist, edging backwards out of the room. He shut the door behind him, before leaning against the wall there. Sucked in a deep breath. Let it out. Another. Inhale… exhale. He closed his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest. A thought brushed against the corners of his mind.
Hades… what have you done?
A tear spilled forth over his ebony lashes, down one white cheek. He couldn't stop the others that followed. Body shaking, he silently wept outside of her bedroom, his hands fisted in his hair. Stolen. Kidnapped. Abducted. Guilt paralyzed him, knocking his heart against his ribcage. He slid down the wall until he was seated on the cold, stone floor.
What have I done?
She had screamed. She had screamed her throat bloody, until no more sound passed her lips. She had cried, beating her frail fists against him, sobbing and pleading for him to release her. She had cried for her mother. She had finally collapsed against him, shocked into a silence that had actually frightened him. No more was she that innocent maiden that he had spied dancing gaily with nymphs. No longer was she that perfect girl, picking flowers and humming songs beneath her breath.
What have I done?
He tried reminding himself that it was the only way. After all, he could not walk among the fields where she played, spending moments in the sun. That was Zeus' realm. He was not permitted. Instead, he was damned, forced to spend his time in a place of darkness and fire, where nothing bright lived, and where no life shone. His heart ached at the prospect of another lifetime alone. All he wanted was something-someone-he could love, and someone who could love him back. He longed for it with every fiber of his being.
But could she? After what he had done, could she?
Fool, he thought, cursing himself. You wretched fool, why would she? You do not deserve her love. You deserve nothing. No one could possibly love you. You're a monster.
Demeter changed back into her usual form, dropping to her knees. She was covered from head to toe in sweat, and she was trembling from exhaustion. Days, she had run, searching for her daughter across the land. Persephone was nowhere to be found, and no one seemed to know what had happened to her. She had asked everyone she had passed: the dryads of the forest, the birds, the animals, the satyrs, the wind, the rain. No one knew. Each was just as confused as she was.
She let out a dry sob, slamming her palms against the ground. The earth rumbled beneath her, as she dragged her broken nails through the dirt, clenching fistfuls of soil and squeezing the life from it. How could Persephone have just vanished?
Somebody knows what has happened to my daughter… somebody knows.
"The nymphs." Demeter sat back on her heels, wiping her damp forehead with the back of her hand. "The nymphs will know. They must know." Gathering what little strength she had left, she took to the winds, vanishing.
She appeared at the edge of the nymphs' lake, landing unsteadily. Her ankle twisted, and she cried out in pain. There was a rustling to her right, as she limped forward, and a reedy voice floated into the air.
"Who disturbs the daughters of the lake?"
"It is I…" Demeter gasped, walking slowly on her tender ankle. "Demeter."
Immediately, three forms burst forth out of the long grass, dropping down at her feet. A wave of pleading and sobbing rushed over her, assaulting her ears with a buffet of noise. One of the three nymphs kissing the hem of her peplos wailed loudly, until Demeter threw her hands over her ears.
"Enough!" She cried, shaking her head. "You exhaust me further with your lamentations! Rise, nymphs, and attend." The nymphs slowly rose to their feet, each of them standing with their heads bowed shamefully. "I am searching for Persephone. I demand that you tell me what has happened to her. Where is my daughter?"
The nymphs went into hysterics again, their babbling too much for Demeter to make sense of. Angrily, she silenced them once more. "If you cannot tell me what has happened, then by Zeus, I summon forth someone who can!"
With a howl and a flash of black smoke, Hecate appeared beside them, her faithful alpha hound Kyrillos at her side. She tossed her black hair out of her face, looking patiently at the odd scene before her. "Someone called?"
"Then it is you," Demeter said softly, taking one labored step forward. "You are someone who knows what has happened to my daughter."
Hecate hesitated. "That is true, Goddess of Grain. I have heard what has happened to fair Persephone. But don't take my word for it. Take the word of the one who saw it happen with his own eyes." Hecate pointed one long finger up, at the sky.
Demeter raised her face, squinting at the bright visage of the sun. "Helios." His name sounded like a plague upon her lips.
Together, the two goddesses summoned him down, until he was hovering before them in his golden chariot. The light of the world gathered around them, and they were forced to shield their eyes. His horses stamped in the air, their gilded hooves shining vividly. Helios bowed to the two goddesses, before straightening up again. "How may I assist the Dark Lady and the Goddess of Growth?"
"Persephone," Demeter immediately said, wishing to spare all trivialities. "Hecate informs me you know what happened to her."
Helios' face, dazzling though it was, turned grave at the mention of the spring goddess' name. "Yes, I did see it, Lady Demeter. I will tell you, though it will not appease your searching heart." He sighed, looking out across the land. "Knowing you would never give consent, Hades has stolen her, and taken her to the Underworld to be his bride."
"No," Demeter whispered, paling as the earth seemed to spin beneath her unsteady feet. She grabbed Hecate's arm, holding herself up even as it seemed she would plunge into oblivion. "No, it cannot be."
"As much as I wish it were not," Helios said sadly, "It is. I am sorry to be the bearer of such unhappy tidings."
Hecate nodded to him, and he bowed to the two of them again, before charging once more into the sky. As he departed, Hecate held onto Demeter, who was trembling and mumbling to herself. "Demeter? Are you all right?"
"No… it is not possible. My daughter… she cannot be the Queen of the Dead."
"I'm sorry," Hecate murmured. "I'm so sorry, Demeter." She pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly until the goddess' body stopped shaking abruptly. Gently, Hecate released her, patting her back.
Demeter's face was oddly blank, her body stiff and rigid. She drew herself up to her full height, all of her previous exhaustion and pain vanishing. A wind whipped up, casting wide ripples on the otherwise unmarred surface of the lake. The nymphs lurking beside them in the grass began wailing again, as Demeter turned her cold, fearsome gaze upon them.
"You," She said, her voice echoing across a thousand lifetimes. Her words dripped with hatred and anger, as she looked at each of them in turn. "You were charged with protecting my daughter. You let Hades steal her. You might have stopped him, and yet, you did not even try to save her. She is gone because of you."
"No, Lady, please-"
"Silence." As the wind howled above them, Demeter cast her hands out at the nymphs, her auburn hair whipping around her face. Her wheat circlet was torn off her head; it spiraled into the sky, disappearing over the lake. Her eyes shone with fury, as she screamed over the gathering tempest, "A curse I place upon you three, for failing my daughter Persephone! A bane upon you I so spin, may it sink into your skin. I taint your hearts until they're black, I twist your spirits until they crack. Doomed to wander endlessly, sirens of deception you shall be. May you sing your dreadful song, and feel deceit your whole lifelong!"
"No!" Hecate shouted, but it was too late. Power burst forth out of Demeter's fingertips, enveloping the nymphs. They screamed in pain as the wind swallowed them, dragging them into the air. They spun helplessly as their bodies changed: their skin turned a sallow yellow; their eyes became an inky black; grotesque wings sprouted from their backs, and their feet turned into fierce talons. The wind finally abated, leaving the three sirens in the air, flapping their wings and calling to each other with haunting voices.
"Go!" Demeter screamed. "Wander, and search fruitlessly for my beloved daughter!"
The three sirens took flight, shooting into the sky and flying in three different directions. Demeter watched them go, breathing hard. When they eventually faded from sight, she sank down to the ground, her body shaking again. She grabbed at her hair, cackling hysterically. Hecate dropped down beside her, snatching her wrists and her sharp fingernails away from her eyes. She held her close, rocking Demeter as her laughs melted into sobs. An ache filled her heart, as tears pooled on the ground at their feet.
Hecate watched in horror as the tears burned the grass, browning the soil into death. It didn't stop there. It continued spreading beneath their feet, circling outwards away from them. The grass around them withered, and all of the leaves fell from the weeping willow tree on the edge of the lake. Hecate's eyes widened as the lake froze, ice spreading over it entirely. She watched as the land around them began to die.
Demeter kept sobbing, saying only one word over and over.
"Persephone…"
This has been my favorite chapter to write so far :) Thank you for all the favorites, and the reviews!