Kore

Act I

She [Persephone] was filled with a sense of wonder, and she reached out with both hands to take hold of the pretty plaything.

And the earth, full of roads leading every which way, opened up under her.

It happened on the Plain of Nysa. There it was that the Lord who receives many guests made his lunge.

He was riding on a chariot drawn by immortal horses. The son of Kronos. The one known by many names.

He seized her against her will, put her on his golden chariot, And drove away as she wept.

Homeric Hymn to Demeter [Verses 15-20]

A loud sonic boom could be heard as seconds later, the once cleared, early morning sky just breaking the dawn was now occupied by the world's strongest man. Slowly, he breathed the clean air and its ever-peaceful scent. His eyes were filled with happiness and contentment as he slowly floated down to the ground as if the will of heaven itself carried him to safety.

He could feel the wind blow across his hair as it coursed forward making his already treasured mood all the fancier when his toes first touched the lovely grass. Slowly, but surely his feet finally allow Mother Nature's warmth to grasp it as his soles allow him to feel his environment. It allowed him to take in the scenery as his smile grew ever-pleasant and ever-beautiful. Peace blossomed within his chest as he saw his destination clearly ahead of him, and what a sight it was.

"It's good to be home." He says.

John never truly had an official home. Due to the responsibilities attached to his name and the many problems the world had that he needed to fix, he was never one to think if he would have a normal life, until now. He was the world's savior, after all, its champion. The face and power that allowed humanity to be as joyful and prosperous as it is. He was the hero of the modern world.

He was the man that rivaled the many before him in history. From God-kings to demigods…

…to Alexander and Caesar…

…to Napoleon and George Washington…

He was better than them all. All of them were merely mortal, larger-than-life characters brought forth with a sense of importance, a sense of destiny… yet they were all human still. Unlike him.

He was the right of God if history ever saw one. He was the second coming if any man of faith can proclaim, and he was the absolute savior that would guide humanity, way long into the future. A throne not created through conquest or desire, but of a throne created through birthright and true, absolute destiny. John smiled as he allowed that self-importance to glisten and whistle into his head.

His ego may have been bigger than the heavens, but it was natural, given his status and the real authentic power that he held within his hands.

Despite that, he was kind. Truly kind. Sympathetic and above all else, compassionate.

He never allowed such thoughts to destroy his perception of what was right or wrong as he allowed the virtue that was humility to take root within his heart. He never bragged about his power at all, for he was meant to be the symbol that every man, woman, and child was to follow for a better world.

Sighing contently, he began walking forward as he saw his home. Simple, and elegant, but had all the trappings of a modern-day, typical American home. One that spoke of his humanity and drive to showcase how human he truly was despite all of the lights and bluster. A large tree overshadowed the property and a small makeshift swing stayed placidly in place as he smiled at all the memories, he had of installing it. The house was typically simple, from the white painted walls and the two-story getup that smelled and sounded like home.

He was proud of it. He didn't need tall, bustling mansions that were barely livable due to their size. He didn't need to project his power because he already didn't need to show off, ultimately. He can do with such a nice, settled scenery, along the countryside as the sun slowly crawled upwards after breaking the dawn.

Reaching his door, he proceeded to open it with sincerity. He didn't wish to bother who was inside. Given that they were the most precious thing to his world.

Yes, the lonely man who sat on the chair of Olympus in the modern world was no longer lonely.

He was even happy when he heard the running footsteps of his son, Ryan greeting him with full attention and love. He patted the boy's head as he smiled in complete comfort. He even lifted him as the little boy laughed and giggled in his arms.

Heading towards the kitchen he heard the sound of bacon being cooked as he placed the excitable Ryan into his seat on the table. John smiled with glee as he saw the back of the most wonderful person in his life. Sneakily tiptoeing his way closer to her, despite knowing that he was already found out…

John sneakily put his arms around her. His hands snake all the way from her sides, towards her waste as giggles can be heard. Her scent was magnificent. Her aura, was indescribably warm and affectionate as he felt her lean into him even as he teasingly sniffed and kissed her neck.

Their bodies were close to each other. He could feel her every curve even as he heard his son angrily call them out for how gross they were being. He laughed it off as he heard her giggle.

That sweet giggle… as he continued to kiss her neck in spades.

His arms then moved closer towards her belly. He felt the roundness of life growing within her, the firmness as he sniffed her white, glorious hair behind her as she called his name.

Yes… this was the life.

This was-

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Homelander, otherwise known as John was woken up from his little nap as he heard three soft knocks emanating from his 'office' in Vought Tower. Blinking his eyes, he saw that it was Stillwell waiting for him patiently as he sat up from his couch.

Immediately he noticed that his couch was rather wet… both with fluids that were sticky and smelly, as sweat proliferated his entire form. Additionally, he was also bereft of his clothes.

He looked around and saw how messy the surroundings of his couch were as multiple pictures and a phone still unlocked showed him notifications of Stillwell having called him barely a minute ago. He didn't bother covering himself as he looked at the time. He had slept for about forty-five minutes after rescuing a very taxing mining accident down in South America. Olympia was deployed there, and he had hoped to see her, he was very frustrated as he went back home empty-handed.

What a waste of time it was.

Shaking his head, he let that thought go away as he thought about his dream.

He smiled actually. After having met her yesterday within Vought Tower, he was already smitten.

John then looked at one of the pictures strewn across the floor that were not affected by the mess that he put on his lap with both hands. Smiling, he kissed the picture with love before rubbing the picture itself onto his face and neck as he began putting clothes on again.

Perhaps someday…

Someday he would get her.

AN: Consider this as a kind of sidestory breathing in the background that will build up to arc one's ending. It's not really an interlude, because that one is still in-progress.

Anyhow, the script of the Homerian Hymn to Demeter is taken from one of my books on the topic, but there is a site that I can readily share, should you guys wish to read it. As to why I chose such a name for this side-chapter of shorts and why I took those verses… well, speculate!

Lastly… God. Writing this little piece was terribly uncomfortable… and terribly disgusting… and I had to cut a ton of shit out from the initial idea because I very much pictured how HL would make up such a fantasy. But I had to do it, because the build up would help how the final scene of Arc one would play out… Kore Act 2 would be less uncomfortable, with the nature of its topic, but I won't spoil it of course.

.edu/primary-source/homeric-hymn-to-demeter-sb/