Chapter Thirteen - In the Garden of the Goddess

Despite the insane speed I was traveling at, I had no concern about losing control of the bike. Traffic - and even pedestrians - all seemed to be standing still as if the world had just suddenly ground to a halt all around me as I easily weaved around them. I had no idea where I was going, all I knew was that I had to get away. Away from school. Away from the city. Away from the reminders of that day. The wind in my face helped to ground my thoughts as I accelerated even faster - the shapes of the world melted away into a blur of color. After maybe twenty minutes, I finally slowed down enough to get a look at my surroundings.

The first thing I noticed was the distinct lack of familiar skyline. Instead of buildings and traffic, there was only the sound of trees rustling gently in the morning breeze. I had somehow drove my motorcycle onto the walking path of a crowded park. Strangely, nobody seemed to be paying attention to me. There wasn't even a single surprised gasp - or shouted curse - at seeing a girl on a motorcycle seem to materialize out of thin air on the sidewalk. Something was definitely very wrong.

Getting off my bike, I glanced around warily. That's when I noticed how quiet it was. Nobody moved. Nobody breathed. If it wasn't for the sun in the sky, I would think I was in the Underworld again. Taking a breath to steady my nerves, I approached the group of people closest to me.

The people weren't people - they were statues! Looking around again, I saw nearly a hundred statues of what must have been Medusa's petrified victims positioned seemingly at random all around the park. Some were seated, others standing. One, a boy who looked a little younger than me, was on a swing.

I could feel the hairs on my arms start to stand on end as my heart - which had begun to slow - started beating faster. She couldn't be here, could she? It had only been a few months since we'd killed her - but then again, stronger monsters tended to reform faster. I glanced around nervously before catching myself. If Medusa really was around, she'd no doubt have been drawn by the roar of my motorcycle as I drove into the park.

The fact that I wasn't currently a statue gave me a small amount of comfort. On closer inspection, the victims all seemed to be wearing old, very out dated styles of clothing. Some of them looked like they would fit right in with the Lotus Casino crowd. It was possible this was an older lair of hers, in that case. And whoever vaporized her that time hadn't saved her victims. Well, I could fix that oversight.

"What are you doing here?" A woman's voice asked.

Startled, I clamped my eyes shut and wheeled around, blindly grabbing for the hunting knife I usually carried at my side before remembering that it was kept secure in my backpack. Unfortunately, in my brief confusion, I failed to stop my swinging momentum and ended up toppling to the ground in a heap.

"Oh!" the voice giggled. Did monsters giggle? What was going on?

"Um..." I said slowly, hesitating slightly even as I sprang blindly to my feet. "You're not... Medusa... Are you? Because, I'm pretty sure you have to say if you are. It's the rules."

"Do I look like that gorgon?" The woman asked, her tone light despite the mild offense.

"Everyone looks the same from behind closed eyes," I remarked.

"I am not her," the woman said, then added; "If I was, I would have to say so, right?"

Hesitating a moment longer, I slowly opened my eyes a crack. When nothing happened, I opened my right eye first and then the left. Then blinked the moisture from my eyes as my vision adjusted once more to the bright morning sunlight.

I looked at her, finally, and couldn't help the involuntary gasp that escaped. The woman was no gorgon. She was a goddess! She wore a circlet of twisted vines and oak leaves over straight black hair that fell like a curtain around her heart-shaped face. I looked away, quickly - definitely not blushing. When I glanced back, her deep, dark eyes, the color of the clear night sky, seemed to shine with amusement.

"Better?" The woman asked.

"I... Um... Yes?"

"Good," the goddess smiled. "Now, what are you doing here?"

"I was... panicking, I guess... Not really paying attention to where I was going," I admitted. "I just had to get away from... everything. By the time I finally got my panic under control, I came to a stop here. Though, I don't really know where 'here' is."

"You're in my garden," the goddess said.

"Your... Garden?" I blinked.

"Well, one of them," the goddess said. "This particular one is located in New Jersey."

"New Jersey?" I shuddered, then said; "Interesting... decorations, you have."

"Ah, but of course, you mean the statues?" The goddess shook her head, and I got the impression she wasn't happy despite the small smile on her lips. "It's an unfortunate necessity."

"What do you mean, 'necessity'?" I frowned. "They're people. Living people trapped in stone."

"Yes," the goddess agreed. "They are, indeed, still alive. And they will remain alive. It is a small mercy that has been extended by the Council of Twelve. Smaller, perhaps, than they deserve - but larger still than they had any hope to receive."

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning deeper.

"There are some things even a goddess like myself can not speak of," she replied. "I can only say that a certain oracle at that camp of yours is hiding more than her own fair share of secrets. Though, if you are clever enough, perhaps you could discover some of them for yourself."

"I see," I said as we lapsed into silence. After a few minutes, I asked; "If you don't mind my asking, what's your name?"

"You truly do not know?" She asked.

"I think..." I trailed off, a half remembered memory trickling through my consciousness of a parade and a heavy iron crown. "I think I remember seeing you up on Olympus, once? A satyr called you Korra? Is that it?"

"Not quite," the goddess said, her mouth twisting into a easy grin. "Here, in the mortal world, I am known to my subjects as Kore. In less than a fortnight, however, I will be known by the name I chose for myself. From Princess of that which grows in the Earth to Queen of all that rests beneath. Persephone once more."

"Oh," I tried very hard not to react. I probably wasn't very successful.

I was sitting next to Hades' wife - Andromeda's stepmother. Sure, Aglaea was super cool - but she was a goddess of love and family. It was kind of her whole deal. The Queen of the Underworld had an entirely different deal when it came to her husband's dalliances. I seem to remember one story of her crushing one of them under her feet.

"Of course, I recognize you," the goddess continued. "You're the child that returned my crown. Though, at the time, I had figured you to be a nature spirit of sorts."

"Oh, uh, no," I said, shaking my head. "I'm a demigod,"

"Oh, I am aware of that," Persephone said. "It's hard not to recognize one of the most famous demigods of the current age, after all."

"Famous?" I blinked. "Me?"

"Between your successful quest and your numerous sponsored endorsements," the goddess pointed out.

"Oh, right."

"If you are concerned about your friend," Persephone continued; "you can relax. I have known of her and her brother for some years already."

"Y-you have?" I blanched.

"My husband is not quite so stealthy as he would like to believe," she laughed. "Even with that helmet of his. Not that he would sneak around behind my back in such a manner. I am not always around, and I do not begrudge him the company he chooses to take. I ask only that he spares no detail in recounting the encounter to me afterward."

"Right..." I said, deciding to change the subject. That was WAY too much information for me! "So, um, how've you been? I think the last time I saw you was that first time."

"I find my mood turns with the seasons," the goddess said with a soft sigh as she looked around. The leaves hadn't yet started to turn colors, but one could plainly see it was only a matter of time.

"Does this time of year make you upset?"

"Actually, it's the opposite," she smiled. "I look forward to the beginning of the Autumn season every year. Not what you'd expect a goddess of Spring to admit, is it?"

I shook my head.

"Do not misunderstand, I appreciate the splendors of nature and the wonders of life as much as the next goddess," she smiled. "But there is a stark beauty in the darkness that can not be found among the bright, green things. There is also a certain freedom there that I am denied elsewhere."

"I see..." I really didn't.

"I miss my husband," Persephone said, plainly. "Regardless of what rumors my dear mother may have spread, our marriage was consensual. It is only because of her... spirited protests... that we are separated at all."

I remembered part of the story. Before Persephone ate the pomegranate seeds, the world didn't have seasons. But when Demeter heard her daughter had been whisked away to the Underworld, she refused to do her job. The plants began to whither and die, then the mortals who had relied on the abundant crops started to follow suit. Soon, the world grew colder and colder until eventually everything was covered in ice and snow.

"I thought Hades tricked you into eating the seeds?" I said.

"Not at all," Persephone grinned. "It was due to my own quick thinking that we were only separated for half the year. You see, down there in the darkness, surrounded by death, I was the happiest I had ever been. How could I not be? For the first time in my existence, I was free! No expectations. No restrictions. I could do or be whatever I wanted. Hades gave me that freedom."

"You really do love him, don't you?" I asked, and she nodded. "It's weird. I'm so used to hearing about how awful he is. Even the mortals portray him as some sort of an evil demonic being or whatever. But, when I was down there last Summer he just seemed..."

"Lonely?" she asked.

"Well, yeah," I agreed. "But also, just really worn down. Even when he was holding my mom's life over my head as a bargaining tool, I..."

"I'm sorry, he did what?"

"Yeah," I said, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "Though, Andromeda really tore into him about it. There was even an earthquake and everything."

"She sounds like she's got a good head on her shoulders. Still, I think the conversation will need to be revisited once I get down there."

Her entire being seemed to change from an inviting warmth to an unforgiving chill. I shivered, suddenly all too aware that I was sitting next to a goddess that some called the Iron Queen. The goddess responsible for most of the worst punishments in the Underworld. Sure, Hades dished them out on occasion, but those were mainly performative. Things like pushing a boulder up a hill or solving a twenty thousand piece jigsaw puzzle where half the pieces were missing and a quarter of the rest were duplicated. Her punishments were literal, endless torture. Like having your skin peeled off in strips or being forced to listen to gospel music.

"I should probably... I mean, it was nice meeting you, but..."

"Yes," the goddess said. "It was lovely talking with you, but you probably should go. Remember what I told you, though. Seek answers from the oracle at your camp, or else there very well may be more statues in my garden before too long."

"Right," I gulped. "Um, nice meeting you. I'll just..."

"Thank you for the lovely conversation," Persephone said, and it sounded genuine. "Perhaps one day, we can continue it."

I mumbled something that might have been interpreted as an agreement as I mounted back onto my bike and kicked it to life before accelerating away as fast it would carry me. I could swear I heard the goddess' laughter follow me even over the roar of the engine.