Sundown

Chapter 15

By the day her daughter's departure came, Demeter was numb. She had managed to keep despair at bay for the past couple days and had determined to keep it together until she was gone. There was no need to taint her last hours with pain: it was the last she would have for half the year. Still, she felt time was racing through her fingers and there was nothing she could do to stop it - or stop him.

The harvest goddess shooed away the nymphs fawning over Kore so she could be alone with her before she left. She was glad Hades had the good sense to leave them this last bit of time alone together. Kore dutifully sat weaving a flower crown most of the afternoon, humming to herself. She said they were to return wearing the crowns of the king and queen of the Underworld so the shades would recognize them. She agreed, but only if she could wear a flower crown with it so they would know her as goddess of the flowers too.

Demeter wanted to cry at the gesture; she was sure Kore was doing it partly if not mostly for her. She was glad that despite taking a liking to Hades, she wasn't willing to abandon her mother and the identity she'd known her whole life. Any time the entire week she began to get emotional, her daughter quickly hugged her, assured her she would be okay, and changed the subject, hating to see anyone suffer. But she also avoided talking about her time in the Underworld as happy or something she was looking forward to, as that was a different way to cause suffering.

Demeter was grateful he didn't insist she leave in the heavy, dark clothes she had been returned in, even if she was not thrilled to see her leave as his queen. She noticed that Kore was weaving two crowns: a smaller one with pink roses, violets, and baby's breath, and a larger one with red and white roses and greenery. When asked about the larger one, she said it was for Hades. Demeter bit her tongue: it was entirely too feminine for a man and there was no significance for him to wear it. There was no chance he would agree to it, but she didn't want her last conversation with her to be negative so she said nothing.

To Demeter's great surprise, Hades did agree to wear it, bowing his head down low to allow her to affix it to his head around his dark crown. She beamed up at him: it clear that his devotion to her was significance enough to adorn a king of the dead in roses.

Though she certainly hadn't wanted an anticlimactic departure, the overly dramatic bawling of some of the nymphs was pushing Demeter to the end of her rope. She was angry at anyone else who had the gall to publicly mourn her daughter more than she did, as if they had any idea what true loss was. The trotting of his dark mares up to them put a black panic in her veins: this was rea and it was happening now.

Persephone approached her with an apologetic, affectionate smile, but her eyes were glassy. She ran up to her, hugging her tightly, her mother squeezing her back so hard she could hardly breathe. Demeter wondered if Hades would physically separate them if she refused to release her. There were so many things she wanted to say to her daughter, all caught in the back of her throat.

"I love you mama," Persephone mumbled into her mother's shoulder. "I'll miss you so much." It was too much, and despite herself, hot tears spilled over Demeter's eyes.

"I'll miss you too Kore. I love you more than life itself." Demeter darkly wished there was some way she could give her own life to keep this from happening, or even to die and make this a permanent farewell. Persephone's gut twisted with guilt, knowing how lonely and empty her mother's life would be while hers would be the opposite. She pulled away, wiping the tears from her own face.

"Will you come visit me?" she asked, hope bright in her eyes. Demeter hesitated. She had no intention of going to that forsaken place and seeing what kind of awful life her daughter had to live, but couldn't bear to disappoint her.

"I'll try sweetheart." Persephone's face lit up. She kissed her mother on the cheek and walked back towards the restless horses. Demeter ran after her but stopped herself, desperately trying to regain her composure. Hades was about to walk past her and he couldn't see her like this. Her hand darted out, tightly grabbing his wrist. He looked down at her, expecting the worst.