A/N: Thanks for your reviews! I'm really glad you liked the last chapter! It's been building for a while, and it was fun to finally bring them together. This chapter below is one of those "In the meanwhile..." ones, in which we get a glimpse of what's happening in the rest of the world because of the lovebirds. Poor Demeter, but things will work out for her eventually!
I also have some bad news. This is the last chapter I have written. I'm working on 23 right now, but I don't guarantee it will be done in the next couple weeks. This Pharmacology class is really kicking my butt right now. Only 4 weeks in, and I have a midterm next week! Yeah, tons and tons of studying. The nervous system drugs make me, well, nervous! There's so many of them! Did you know that hydrocodone, which is used in Vicoden and Norco in human medicine, is actually used as an anti-cough medicine in dogs?
Anyway, so this is the last regular update I can promise. I'll get the other chapters out as I have a chance to get them finished. I'm not abandoning the story, and we're getting close to the end, so hopefully it won't be too much longer before I can put out chapters regularly again.
Chapter 22: Zeus's Mistake
Demeter was beginning to wish she had two fewer brothers. Then again, if not for Zeus, she wouldn't have Persephone. But Poseidon… She could definitely do without him. Both Zeus and Poseidon had been harrying her for weeks. She was tired. The earth was suffering for it, falling into a drought as she was worn down. She tended the gardens where she could, but her annoying brothers never gave her time to rest.
It was strange to see her brothers staying on a single task for this long. Usually Hades was the only one with the self-control and focus to remain steadfast. Thinking of Hades reminded her of Persephone, and she felt sad. She missed her daughter deeply. It took all her willpower to keep her sorrow from wilting the plants around her. The earth didn't need to be more burdened with her pain.
Currently she was disguised as a wheat-colored mare in a herd of horses. If she could remain undetected for a while, she might have a chance to regroup. A stallion approached her, wanting the thing for which stallions wanted mares. She warned him off with flattened ears and bared teeth. The stallion, familiar with moody mares, shied away quickly. If only her brothers were so easily discouraged. The stallion mingled with the other mares, looking for one more willing.
She dropped her head and began to crop at the brittle grass. Where she bit at the dry grass, fresh green stems sprang up. She scuffed her hoof, and new blades began to grow. She wandered the field, spreading her blessing over it while staying within the herd.
Without warning, the stallion appeared from behind and began to mount her. She ducked her head and kicked out viciously with her hind hooves. Her blow landed squarely on the stallion's most prized possession. With a scream of agony, Poseidon reared up and melted back into his human form, clutching his family jewels. He fell over on his side, red and gasping.
Demeter whickered equine laughter. As if she wouldn't recognize her own brother when he tried to force her! She turned to gallop off, head and tail high with pride. Her pleasure didn't last long. As she passed under a few trees, weight suddenly landed on her back. Startled, she tried to buck it off, but Zeus leaned forward and slipped a golden bridle of her head. Foreign power lashed at her, freezing her muscles. She tried to fight it, but as a horse the gold bridle had complete power over her.
Zeus twisted the reins in his hands and jerked them hard. The bridle bit into the thin skin of her face, wrenching her head around. "You're mine now, sister," he sneered. "When I'm done with you, you'll tell me where our daughter is, and then I'll take care of both of you."
Terror shot through her as he spurred her sides cruelly. No! She'd gotten tired and careless, and now Zeus had her in his power. Anger and fear made her scream out against him, but it only sounded like a horse's shrill cry of pain. He forced her to gallop into the air. Higher and higher they rose. Every time she faltered, Zeus was quick to lash her with a quirt and rake her sides with his spurs. Welts formed on her flanks, stinging as her sweat dripped into them. Her sides heaved for breath, blood from the spurs running down her body. The pain in her body couldn't match the pain of her heart—or the fire in her soul as she vowed to protect Persephone. Zeus might try to torture obedience out of her, but she would never give up her daughter!
Her pulse pounded with effort, sounding like drumbeats of fury. It raged in her breast, furious with Zeus, with Poseidon, frightened out of her wits for Persephone. Nothing on Earth, Olympus or the Underworld could make her willingly say where her daughter was, but she could feel Zeus' over-powering will pressing on hers. He would break her, with no remorse or hesitation. From somewhere she drew on deep reserves of strength, the power given to all mothers who sought to protect their children. She would not give in. Zeus would not get Persephone through her.
Onward they climbed, until the air grew thin and cold. Chips of ice formed in her lungs and burned her. Under the golden bridle she was forced to go on. She grew weak an exhausted. Only Zeus's power kept them up, though he continued to abuse her viciously. They passed through a veil between worlds and emerged someplace cold and hostile. A vast, ostentatious set of buildings of white marble and gold floated on clouds in front of her: Zeus' sky palace. They landed hard on the marble platform that rested on top of the clouds. Her legs buckled and she fell to her knees.
Zeus calmly dismounted, reins still clenched in his fist. The edge of the clouds was only a few feet away. She looked at it longingly. If she went over, it would be a long fall back to the mortal realm. It might even be enough to kill her. At least then she wouldn't be a danger to Persephone. Would Hades let her see her daughter one last time before judging her?
Before she could act on the impulse, Zeus jerked on the reins. He forced her to stand and follow him as her led her to one of the smaller buildings. She stumbled along, weary in body and sick at heart. Staring at his back, he anger grew. Without warning she lunged forward, teeth bared. He turned at the last minute, dodging aside. He yanked hard on the reins. Pain lanced through her body, and she fell over with it, her hooves peddling the air helplessly. He laughed at her, not loud, a soft, amused chuckle. Once her fit passed, he forced her to her feet again and continued to lead her away.
She expected he would torture her for information. He'd probably force himself between her legs too. She did not expect him to drop her off at the stable. He handed off the reins to a naked, fat cherub and walked away. She stared in astonishment, and then tried to pull the reins from the cherub's hands. The golden bridle held her tight, and all the cherub had to do was shake the reins, and her muscles locked into obedience. It was humiliating. The cherub brought her to an empty stall and tied the reins to a tall hook. Then it left her.
She was alone in the stable. Her thoughts turned immediately to escape. She tried a couple times to flip the reins from the hook, but it was too high for her. She tried to set back and break the reins, but all that accomplished was the bridle digging into her poll. Breathing hard, she rested a few minutes and attempted to put her head down. The bridle pulled her up again. She couldn't lower her head more than a few inches before all the slack was taken in the reins.
She was forced to stand with her head up. It was an unnatural position for a horse, though it wasn't too extreme at first. But as hour after hour passed with no relief, her muscles began to ache. A day passed with no one coming to check on her, and then another. She became terribly thirsty. Zeus had ridden her hard to reach the sky palace, and the air was bitterly cold and dry. Her legs grew tired. She shifted her weight, trying to find a position to provide her relief, but no matter what it started to hurt in a few minutes. There was barely enough slack in the reins for her to weave back and forth, and that's what she tried to do, giving each leg in turn a small rest. It soon became an agony that was unbearable.
That was when she realized she was being tortured. It was the torture of being forgotten. No one ever came for her. There was no food, no water, no company, no rest. She couldn't lay down with the golden bridle on her face, couldn't return to her human form. All she had was time to think. Lots and lots of time to think. In the beginning she plotted revenge against Zeus. He had a lot to answer for, and she enjoyed coming up with increasingly creative—and unlikely—ways to make him pay. She couldn't stay solely focused on vengeance though. It grew melancholy, twisting her spirit into a dark form she didn't like.
Her thoughts turned to her daughter. She hoped Persephone was well. Hoped Hades was treating her well. Wondered if they had fallen in love, and what it would be like to have Hades as a son-in-law. She lived in her memories for a while, remembering happier times. In her mind, a young Persephone laughed and played, eternally a child. Memories couldn't sustain her forever. Days passed, and weeks. She wouldn't die of dehydration and starvation, but she wished she could. It would be a welcome relief from her situation. The agony of her body grew and consumed all else. At times she passed out, and came to with the golden bridle choking her.
Her thoughts turned unfortunately to Hades. For the first time she began to realize how he must had felt, forgotten and abandoned in the Underworld. It was an awful feeling. Her horse form couldn't cry, but her heart was aching for him. She was just as guilt as her brothers and sisters. How hard would it have been to talk to him once in a while? Instead, she turned her back on him cruelly, forgetting him in the pursuit of pleasures like the rest of her siblings.
How much different would things have turned out if they hadn't ostracized him? He would have been a steadying influence on their wilder antics. Maybe they could have taught him to laugh and smile more. If they had given him a chance, he might have been the king of the skies instead of Zeus. What would that have been like? She would have never been in this situation if he were their ruler. Remorse humbled her. If she ever got out of here, she vowed to be nicer to him.
Delirium began to set in. She was miserable, her body beaten, her heart scored. It was at her lowest point, when she was ready to give up, that Zeus came for her. She didn't remember his arrival. She looked up wearily, and he was there. He reached up and untied the reins. She was so weak that she collapsed without the golden bridle holding her up. Her muscles had frozen in one position, so now that she could finally put her head down, it hurt too much to move. Zeus knelt by her and removed the bridle. It had grown into her face, so that it was like ripping off bits of flesh. Even that didn't stir her more than a twitch.
"My poor Demeter," he murmured, "Why do you resist me like this? You're only hurting yourself." He passed his hand over her broken flesh. It healed, and she returned to her goddess form.
"Pick her up," he commanded, and walked away. A swarm of cherubs emerged and took hold of her. They carried her through the sky palace to a lavish bath. They washed her, perfumed her skin, and put soft robes around her. She watched it all passively, because it seemed to be happening to someone else. She wondered if this was a delusion, and she was really back in her stall.
The cherubs brought her to a huge lounge. A long table was set against one wall, set with every kind of food one could desire. It smelled wonderful, and her dormant hunger suddenly roared to life. Saliva flooded her mouth as she yearned for the food, but she was too weak to move on herself toward it. The cherubs carried her away from the table and placed her in a recessed sitting area festooned with overstuffed pillows. It was opulent to the extreme, exactly the way Zeus liked it.
The master of the house was lounging across from her. She tore her eyes from the food to watch him warily.
"Hello, Demeter," he said pleasantly. "I'm sure you must be hungry." There was a plate of fruit and cheese by his elbow, and he almost absently ate a few grapes while watching her. Bastard. "I thought we'd start small. Wouldn't do to upset your stomach now."
He offered her a tiny cup of wine. Drink on an empty stomach wasn't a good idea when she needed to be sharp, but she was too parched to care. Strength came back to her limbs, enough for her to grab the glass and drain it in one gulp. She could have drank several amperes more. It was surprisingly good wine, sweet and potent. Of course it could have been pig swill and she wouldn't have cared.
Zeus frowned disapprovingly at her. "You ought to have savored things more," he chided her. "Like this."
He leaned forward and kissed her, putting his hand on her breast. No doubt it was meant to be seductive and sensual. Frankly, he hadn't been that good of a lover the first time for her to repeat that particular mistake. She bit his tongue, drawing blood. He jerked back with a curse, and backhanded her across the face. She fell over from the force of it, her teeth cutting her cheeks. Her blood tasted more metallic than his, as dehydrated as she was.
Still calling her foul names, Zeus grabbed her wrist and yanked her from the room. Her legs were too weak to support her, and he didn't wait for her to get up when she fell. He dragged her behind him, never slowing down as he reached stairs. Sharp marble edges bruised her skin. She tried to scramble up the stairs on three limbs, but Zeus jerked at her and threw her off balance again.
She lost track of how high they went. The air grew thin around them, and bitterly cold. He was used to it, but she became dizzy as she struggled to draw breath. They emerged in a long corridor with doors on either side. He pulled her down the hallway before choose a door seemingly at random. He opened it and threw her into a tiny cell too small for her to stand or stretch out.
"I could have been good to you, Demeter," Zeus growled furiously. "You chose this!" He slammed the door and stalked away. Demeter took a couple minutes to gather her strength. It was incredibly hard to catch her breath. The stone floor beneath her was cold and unforgiving. When she was able, she rose to her knees and tried the door. Locked, of course. The cell was almost as bare as her stall as a horse had been. At least she had relative freedom of movement here. She couldn't stand, couldn't stretch out even lying corner to corner on the floor. Of course, she was too weak at the moment to really care about moving.
There was a tiny, horizontal slit of a window set a couple inches below the top of the cell. She'd have to turn her head sideways and press her ear to the ceiling in order to look through it. There was a high-pitched keen as freezing wind blew through it. Maybe she'd check it out after she got some rest. She turned on her side, curled up for warmth, and slept fitfully for a time.
The cold woke her. It was a savage, relentless thing. Frost had formed on her eyelashes and lips, and rubbing at them did no good. She was too cold even to shiver. After her prolonged starvation in Zeus' stable, she had no reserves of energy left. She was hardly more than a skeleton these days. She decided her brother really was a sadistic bastard. At the moment, she would have welcomed even the fires of Tartarus if they got her warm.
Remembering the window, she crawled over to it and peered out. It was very thin, barely three fingers tall and half her arm in length. The wall around the window was so thick she could only see a small fraction of the outside view. There wasn't much to look at. All she had was a sliver of the black sky, with pure white stars as pricks of light. Instead of being beautiful, the baleful stars seemed to stab at her eyes like icicles. She flinched away from the light, and sank back to the floor.
It seemed she was in for another long round of being forgotten. The few rests of rest she managed to snatch here and there were interrupted by cold and hunger. A fierce wind blustered through the cell at all times, ensuring that the air around her never grew warmer. The small cup of wine Zeus had given her was not enough sustenance after weeks of deprivation. Soon its effects were gone. She was left with an empty stomach, unable to pass on to the next world.
It became worse when she realized that not all the cold she was feeling was her own. She had been removed from the world, and the world was suffering for it. It was a compounding problem. Not only was so no longer on earth to grow things, but the earth could feel her torment and was sending her energy to keep her alive, bring her back. The more energy that was sent to her, the colder, more barren the earth became. She could feel it happening, but was too far away to stop the flow of energy. What was Zeus thinking, keeping her locked up like this? The earth was dying! Soon the mortals would begin to die.
And Zeus couldn't care less about it. He was too wrapped in his own arrogance and power to bother with anyone else. The only good thing about his actions was that Hades would begin to notice the flow of souls into his realm. He'd know what Zeus had done. She wasn't expecting a rescue—she was too far gone for that—but she did expect retribution. Zeus would have to pay for his crimes. All the gods would have to pay.