Once Upon a Winter's Spring

23. The Prophecy

Hermes was summoned and immediately sent to the counsel of senior gods, except Hades, of course. The pantheon was abuzz with murmurs and whispers about what could be so absolutely important about Zeus's return. Finally, Zeus and Hera arrived, and the hall silenced as they went to their thrones.

"Apollo!" Zeus beckoned, and his son timidly came forward after being pushed by his neighbors.

"Y-yes, father?" Apollo didn't dare meet his eye.

"Tell me, about your discovery," Zeus asked vaguely.

"D-discovery? I didn't find anything new! A-all's well as it..."

"The shoe, boy!"

"Oh, the shoe!" Apollo nervously laughed, the footwear incomparable to what horrible thoughts he was having.

"Yes, well. I found it a few days ago. Day a-after the last Sunday. Artemis took it from me." He was quick to pass on the responsibility.

"Artemis." Zeus called her and Apollo walked back to his seat as fast as he could, sticking his tongue out to his sister as they crossed paths.

Artemis rolled her eyes and approached her father, bowing before continuing the saga of the shoe. "Yes, I took it from Apollo and tried to put it on, but it didn't fit me. So I took took it around Olympus and try to find who could fit such a dainty slipper."

Demeter listened worriedly. Such fuss over a shoe. Was it the one Kori fit? Zeus waved Artemis back to her seat and took a drink before he stood up.

"There has been... a prophecy," he introduced, and the court began murmuring again. "Silence!" He bellowed and he could've heard a pin drop.

"I visited the fates in my expedition, and the sisters declared a prophecy: Whosoever fits the shoe... shall be the Queen of Hades."

The crowd erupted in conversation, but immediately fell silent at Demeter's outburst.

"You cannot be serious!"

Zeus sat down. "I have not decided it. The fates have declared it so."

"Well then, they MUST be wrong. This is impossible!"

Zeus sighed, turning to Hera. "What's impossible?"

Hera leaned in. "Kori fit the shoe, remember?"

"Right. Well," he cleared his throat. "I understand your anger, Demeter. But if Kori has fit the shoe, then she is to be Hades's Queen."

"Sh-She can't! She's a child!"

Hera scoffed. "She's innocent, sure. But she's hardly naive. Kori's the best girl in my heram."

Demeter was shook to the core. "Your school? I beg your pardon, but Kori's devoted to Artemis!" Demeter looked to the virgin goddess.

Artemis avoided any eye contact, sucking on her top lip. "Well, actually not."

Angry roots grabbed Artemis where she stood, threatening to crush her. "You lied to me!?"

"It was all Kori's idea," Artemis squeezed out.

"Perhaps you should give your daughter some trust and space, sister," Hera advised.

The conflicted sisters began arguing to the amusement of the others gathered, especially Aphrodite. Finally Zeus had enough and stopped them.

"Enough, Demeter. The fates have decided. I have no more say in this than you do."

Demeter turned to Zeus, slowly turning green. "You will take her from my cold, dead hands." In a snap she turned into leaves and flew away to her daughter.

Zeus, enraged at the disrespect, followed her.

"Oh, my, Styx!" Aphrodite filled the empty seat next to Hera. "Little Kori, the pair of our oldest. Who would have seen this coming!?"

Hera had her eyes locked at the empty black throne across and smirked to herself. "Oh I'd say it's been a long time coming."

"Kori!" Demeter screamed as her feet touched the balcony.

Kori was startled by her mother's loud voice, only ever heard once before. She couldn't have done anything wrong now, could she? She dropped everything and ran to find her mother.

"Yes, mother?" Kori replied, soon finding her mother storming towards her.

"We are leaving right now!" Demeter walked past Kori to her room.

"Where? What is going..." thunder cut her off.

"You dare turn your back on me!?" His voice landed before Zeus himself broke through the roof. Kori immediately ran to her mother; this couldn't be good.

"I didn't turn my back on you!" Demeter shouted back. "This has nothing to do with you. I'm taking Kori and leaving!"

"By Styx you will!" Zeus was trampling towards her, but Kori jumped him.

"No! Leave her alone!" She yelled, aware of what her father had the potential to do.

Zeus grabbed Kori's arm and swung her down. Demeter cursed. "Let her go, Zeus!"

Zeus began walking to the door, grip tightening on Kori's arm as he dragged her along. Suddenly, roots and vines of all sizes grabbed him. Zeus stalled for a minute, until he retaliated by using his lightning clad hand to pull off the confines, drying the foliage and threatening to snuff Demeter.

"You will not defy the fates!"

With his attention turned to Demeter, Kori managed to create a hogweed plant and snapped its stem in front of Zeus's eyes, blinding him. In distress, Zeus shifted his hands to his face, releasing both his captives.

"Mother!" Kori screamed, and Demeter hobbled over to her. Once together, the nature goddesses transformed, Demeter into a winged serpent and Kori a parrot, and flew down to the land where Zeus couldn't easily find them.

They flew past Paros to a far away island. Once they landed, Demeter collapsed, burned out from Zeus's lightning. Kori decided to be strong for the both of them and stood up, creating trees up out of the ground, tall enough to touch the sky, with crowns wide enough to hide the view below. Once she was sure they were safe,
Kori turned into a deer to provide her mother some comfort and sat beside her. It had been a long night. Kori never thought she would ever be so scared.

But fate had one more horror in store.