The hours passed as they sat lazily in the sunshine, watching the leaves dance in the breeze. Suddenly, Demeter said in a low, intense voice, “You know you will eventually have to choose a suitor, Persephone. Zeus will not let this go. When that time comes, what is it you want in a husband?”
Persephone was shocked at her mother’s question, and panic flooded her mind at the thought of leaving her beloved forest and animals. A husband would control her, demand things of her she was not willing to give. Things she would never want to give. “Why must I leave our Temple, mother? What I want in a husband does not exist. I want someone I love. Someone who respects me and whom I respect, who will love me,” her voice broke, “who is understanding, that I am far from...perfect.”
Demeter grabbed her daughter and hugged her tightly, “You are perfect, my precious daughter. The Gods are cruel. You are too good for any of them. I will go and seek out Zeus immediately. We will delay this as long as we can.” She stood and clapped her hands and a nymph raced forward holding out a velvet, emerald green cloak.
Persephone watched her mother and said hesitantly, “Mother are you sure I cannot come with you? Maybe I could help make Zeus understand. We could explain together--”
“No!” Demeter said with more force than she intended. “No daughter,” she repeated again more gently, “it is best if I go alone. You stay here, within these walls, where I know you are safe.” She stepped closer to her daughter and her gaze was fierce. “Hear me this time, Persephone. Stay inside! Do not leave the house in case Ares sends the birds back or something worse. The temple will protect you, but outside these walls you have no protection. Do you understand this?”
Persephone nodded her head vigorously, locks of her dark hair whipping around her face. "Mother, tell Zeus I need more time before I marry and that I would like to choose my own husband."
For a moment Demeter looked at her daughter and there was a flicker of something in her eyes, and then she smiled. “Of course, daughter. I will tell him.” As she turned to leave, she glanced back.“Persephone, do not go outside.”
Demeter raced as fast as the wind would take her, high up Olympus to Zeus’s temple. Pray the Gods it was not too late.
It was a magnificent palace built of white marble and gold and it rose from the clouds like a beacon at the highest cliff of the mountain. What beauty without and what evil within, she thought. She had not known the evil that lurked around every corner, but she did now. She and Persephone had once attended lavish parties here until her daughter became the desire of every God on the mountain. As she looked around, she remembered the grand feasts. The memories of preparing for the opulent occasion filled her mind. Persephone had been so excited, picking olives of every shape and size, gathering honey from her bees, fresh honeysuckle, raspberries, freshly baked bread from her finest barley crops. What fools they had been! She landed on the front steps of the palace and straightened her back. She must show no weakness here. She held her head high as several Gods passed by giving her curious glances and she walked boldly into the throne room. She knew the way, too well. The room was enormous with massive chaises lining the walls, and the floors were covered in soft pillows. On one of the chaises, Aphrodite lay sprawled against Hermes’ lap, her gown slipping further and further to her navel and baring more of her perfect bosom with every titling laugh that left her lovely pink mouth. Demeter rolled her eyes as Hermes spilled ambrosia across her round breasts, and glancing around, she saw Zeus on his throne speaking to Athena in low tones.
As Demeter approached the throne she was able to make out the words. “Athena, there have not been enough sacrifices. Perhaps a war would bring my subjects around? Nothing makes them cling to me more than a war,” Zeus finished with a laugh.
He was vile, Demeter thought in disgust. Of course he wanted more blood spilt, afterall, humans were so easily dis
carded. For a moment, rage blinded her vision but she pushed it carefully back down. Now was not the time. Someday she could avenge herself on him. Someday, but not now. Demeter crossed the room quickly to stand next to the Goddess, and Athena turned to Demeter with a brief but genuine smile.
“Greetings, Demeter. We have not seen you or your daughter at my temple recently. We miss her and I miss your sensible head at my table.”
Demeter laughed and gave a careless shrug of her slender shoulders, “It has been difficult since she has come of age. I am training her to use her abilities, so she can take on more responsibilities in the forest. She is essential at my temple.”
Athena smiled, “Let your daughter know that the temple is not half as radiant without her there. You both would be welcome at any time.” With a nod of her head, Athena turned and left the room, likely guessing why the Goddess wanted to speak with Zeus.
Zeus merely stared at her from his high throne and she wondered if he would acknowledge her presence when he finally spoke. “And to what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Demeter?”
Demeter bowed down and then lifted her head, looking over at Hermes and Aphrodite. Hermes was lifting one perfect breast to his mouth, his toga unfastened, and if she was not mistaken, Aphrodite was now stroking a particularly erect portion of his anatomy. Demeter quickly averted her face. She should never have let Persephone come here, she thought with disgust. Turning back to Zeus she said firmly,” I would like to speak with you -- alone."
Zeus glanced over at the lovers, taking time to eye Aphrodite’s exposed breasts. “Much as I enjoy your display, continue your lasciviousness elsewhere, Hermes. We do not want to offend the virginal sensibilities of our guest. Do be sure to pay special attention to her nipples, I know how she enjoys that.” With a small grin, Hermes ushered Aphrodite out of the room, neither making any effort to cover themselves, and Demeter stood alone at Zeus’s feet.
She took a moment to gather her courage and then said, “Cancel this engagement to Ares.”
Zeus played with the goblet in his hand, "No, not this time Demeter, it is time she married. She is of age. I have already withdrawn my consent from Hermes and Apollo, as you demanded. They would have made perfectly suitable husbands for a girl as illustrious as our Persephone.” He looked at her with a sly look on his face. Oh how he enjoyed making her angry.
Demeter ground her fingernails into her palm, drawing blood. She must not give into her temper, she needed to keep a cool head right now. This was not about past wrongs, this was about her beloved daughter. She would keep calm for her sake. With a deep breath, she continued. “She does not want a husband at this time, she should not have to wed. You have not forced Athena to wed. She does not want Hermes, she does not want Apollo, she does not want Ares. I need her at my Temple, she has obligations to fulfill as my daughter.”
The smile left Zeus’s face and lightening twisted around his fingers as he dropped his goblet. It fell with a clang to her feet, spilling in a pool of red that flowed like blood, and she swallowed down bile as it soaked into her sandals. He leaned forward, his voice like ice, “Troublesome bitch. Who is good enough for your daughter?” He glared down at her from his throne and said with a sneer, “Perhaps she prefers the cocks of mortals, like her whore mother.”
Demeter felt rage infuse her, “How dare you, you coward,” her voice quivering with rage. Lifting her arms with a burst of wind, “My daughter will not marry your son.”
He leaned back as if pleased by her anger and a smile spread across his mouth. “Beg.”
She lowered her arms and drew back to stare up at him incredulously. “What?”
He snapped his fingers and a naked nymph appeared, placing a full goblet in his hands. “Get on your knees and beg me to grant you this request.”
She stared at him and then dropped to her knees. “Oh, mighty Zeus, please grant me this desire. Please release my daughter, Persephone, from this engagement to your son.” She bowed her head. After several moments of silence, she looked up to see Zeus fondling the breasts of the nymph while he was smiling down at her.
“She will not marry any of them!” Demeter shrieked in rage. As she did so, a great clap of thunder burst forth and lightning clashed. The wind ripped at her clothes and her hair, painfully whipping it around her body, but Demeter was too incensed to be afraid. She shouted again, “Ares will not touch her!” Her screams echoed through the temple for all to hear and Zeus began laughing as she ran from the throne room.
His voice shouted, “Before sunset, Demeter, remember, before sunset.” The words echoed in Demeter’s ears as she raced through the halls like Hades himself was at her heels.
Chapter 2 - Kidnapped
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Persephone sat on her bed, biting her thumb fretfully. What was taking her mother so long, she wondered, surely nothing had gone awry? With a frustrated sigh, she closed the book she had been attempting to study and stood up, beginning to pace. Why had her mother insisted on going alone when they both knew how dangerous Mount Olympus could be? Was it not the very reason Persephone was forced to hide like a coward behind the walls of her mother’s temple? Her mother had not considered that Olympus could be as dangerous to her as it was to her daughter. They both knew Zeus had good reason to try to punish Demeter. Persephone could have gone with her, helped to ensure that they both left Zeus’ palace safely but instead she had had to stay behind, hidden, and once again completely useless. She could go there, she considered, and demand that she be allowed to see her mother. But, now that she thought about it, she realized that did not even know how to find the palace on Mount Olympus. She had been there as a child, but it had been years since her mother had brought her there. No, she just had to wait and hope that her mother was simply taking her time in returning. “And in the meanwhile I am completely safe and completely unable to help anyone,” she muttered angrily under breath.
Persephone paused before a large looking glass in her room to study her reflection. It was a pretty face, beautiful even, she thought dispassionately, her eyes luminous in the gathering darkness. And she hated it. Her face had cost her everything, her freedom, her very way of life had been taken from her because men had decided her body was appealing. She sometimes wondered if being hidden away had made the matter worse, had made her appear even more appealing.The harder won prize was always more desirous, she thought in bitter disgust as she turned away from the mirror. With a sigh, she lay back on the bed. After her mother had departed, she had brushed the tangled hair of the horses, carefully braiding each tail and mane, scrubbed her face and her body so thoroughly her skin still felt raw, helped organize seeds for the nymphs to distribute to the newly tilled lands, and finally, she had tried to study to pass the time. But she still felt restless. The thought of Ares asking for her hand made her stomach twist, and since she had seen the note, a wild rebellion had seemed to rise up in her. Desperation, her mind whispered. Desperation coupled with fear and vulnerability, all combined to make her in a particularly foul mood.
The thunder rumbled in the distance as if reflecting her dark emotions and there was a heaviness in the air. She watched from her bedroom window as the sky turned deep pink, and purple storm clouds rolled in. She could almost taste the rain. It had been as hot as Tartarus outside today, and it would be so nice to leave the temple, to smell the stormy air as it brought the fresh scent from the sea with it. She stood up then, only to sink back down with a frustrated sigh. She had promised her mother to stay inside and Demeter would be very upset with her if she didn’t. But then again, if she did not leave her room soon she may well go insane. Persephone stood again slowly and went to the window, leaning out to let the wind blow through her room. It lifted the damp tendrils of hair from her sweaty face and she felt a beckoning, an almost irresistible pull to join the wilderness outside.
Persephone! a voice seemed to whisper on the wind...Persephone! She shook her head, how fanciful she had become lately. A reprieve from the temple was necessary for her sanity. She watched as golden pollen danced on the breeze, the eddy travelling away from the temple, and that shimmering golden powder helped to make up her mind. Without further thought, she quietly slipped out the door closing it firmly behind her. Her mother would never be the wiser.
As she stepped into the storm, she gasped at the first touch of the cool drops against her flushed body and closed her eyes, letting the rain soak into her skin, hoping it would wash her troubled contemplation away. The gold shimmer appeared again and she began to follow it, letting her feet take her without thought, further and further from the temple. The wind pulled at her hair and a part of her mind whispered to her that she was going too far, that it was unsafe, but she could not stop herself. The pull was too tantalizing and she had resisted the call of freedom for too long.
She walked, letting her bare feet sink into the cool, damp earth, always keeping the swirling gold dust in her sight. She passed the forests and the lakes and when she crossed the mountains that bordered the edge of the temple, she did not notice. Her eyes were fixated on the glimmering dust.
Finally, she paused as the wind shifted, momentarily altering the trail of gold from her gaze, and she blinked in surprise as she realized that she had reached a part of the forest that she had never seen before. Persephone had left the confines of the temple far behind and realized that she stood in the center of a large lavender field bordered by a cliff. It was breathtaking! The storm washed over the sea of purple and she breathed deeply. She thought about all that the storm had brought with it to the land: new seeds, scents, insects, precious water … to refresh and replenish the forest. The wind would scatter the seeds and life would begin anew. The air tugged at her dress impatiently, pulling at her hair and body and it felt almost as sensual as a lover’s hand, shaping her gown to her breasts and legs. She lifted her face and saw the stream of gold flowing towards the edge of the cliff and she edged closer to the precipice as the wind pulled with gentle insistence. In the back of her mind she heard her mother’s warning, but she could not stop herself from following. The scent was intoxicating.
There was something hypnotic about this storm. Persephone felt that a little more time spent exploring would not hurt anything. The golden particles danced once more before her eyes and she turned to follow the path when she saw -- alone in a sea of lavender, a golden flower blooming, gleaming iridescently. She stopped to stare at it. A golden light emulated from it’s center reflecting off the petals so it glowed as brilliantly as the sun, a beacon in the darkened sky.
Its petals waved in the wild wind and the path of gold encircled the flower, inviting her to touch it. Had that golden trail led her here intentionally? Apprehension flashed in her mind, but she stepped helplessly closer, mesmerized by its brilliant glow.
She bent to the flower and as she touched the golden petals, she felt a curious swooping inside her body, like her soul was being heated from the inside out. Suddenly the world was immersed in inky blackness. She let out a gasp of shock and then stood still, as she felt something else there in the darkness, something that reached out to touch her. It felt strong, powerful and ancient, and she was frightened of its nearness. It moved against her soul and she drew back, terrified at the unfamiliar touch. Her slightest movement seemed to act as a catalyst as the light returned as suddenly as it had gone, and a high-pitched noise split the wind sending chills down her back.
She covered her ears and fell to the ground as splintering screams filled the air and one loud cry rose to the forefro
nt and echoed in her mind. Cries of the dying! Cries of the damned!
“No, no, no,” she moaned.
The ground shook with a pulse and seemed to shake with her own heartbeat as she struggled to stand, desperate to flee when a large crack rent the air and the Earth split open, oozing red liquid from its center. It spilled towards her and she realized in horror that it was blood, the sickening metallic smell filling her nostrils as it soaked into her bare feet. She gave a cry of horror as the Earth rolled and swelled and she fell again into the red pool, unable to keep her purchase on the unstable ground. She raised her eyes to the golden flower and watched as it withered and turned to dust when the blood swirled at its stem, and like an omen of death, the entire lavender field wilted and died before her eyes.
One last, single golden petal danced in the wind towards the gaping abyss, and as it reached the edge, thunder shook the sky as the petal drifted over. One heartbeat. Two. A hoof appeared. Persephone drew back in horror as a second hoof emerged, until finally an enormous ebony stallion burst through the depths of the blackness. On its back sat a cloaked rider. The creature who sat astride the monstrous beast was covered in black, tattered robes and was headed straight towards her -- with deadly intent. She felt frozen, unable to move as the Earth pounded beneath her body. The horse’s red, rolling eyes stared into her own, the steam rushing from its flared nostrils, and she could feel the seething rage of the rider, a powerful anger directed at her.
“Get up, Persephone!” she whispered to herself.
She jumped suddenly to her feet, but the ground was wet beneath her. She felt herself slipping as she tried to gain her footing; the pounding hooves were right behind her now. She gave a cry of terror as a powerful arm wrapped around her and she was lifted onto the giant mount. She fought wildly against the tight hold and her struggles increased as she saw that the horse had changed directions and was heading once more toward the gaping crack in the Earth. The body against her own was hard and muscular, and despite how much she struggled, the grip on her did not loosen. She opened her mouth to scream when with one, impossibly long leap, the horse entered the crevice. The air whooshed out of her lungs and Persephone felt a peculiar weightlessness as they went further and further downwards. Another shattering noise filled her ears and they were immersed in darkness as the Earth closed above them. She let out a helpless whimper of fear and the arm tightened around her.
Hades And Persephone: Curse Of The Golden Arrow Page 2
