Lore retold

chapter 3

Persephone woke to the sound of her alarm, slowly she reached out through her now long thick hair and smacked it quiet. Curling back up into her ball she hugged her pillow tighter as last night played through her mind. She felt the grip of his hands still on her skin and his weight holding her down, trapping her. She darted off her bed, stripping it of the sheets and blanket and shoving them to the bottom of her clothes basket. She rubbed her arms as she stood staring at her bed, her hair brushed the backs of her knees and she cried. Walking into her bathroom she clicked on the light and looked in the mirror, she didn't look different but she felt different. She felt dirty, pulling open the top drawer in her vanity she grabbed the pair of scissors kept there for cutting her hair. Persephone gripped a fistful of pink hair and hacked it off and it drifted to the tiled floor. Then another fistful and another and another, as she cut her hair the tears came faster. Finally she was done and looking at the choppy job she'd done but it was better than before, better than the reminder. 

She needed a shower. 

Pulling off her shirt she cranked the water on to as hot as she could stand it and stepped under the scalding spray. Grabbing her soap she scrubbed her skin until it hurt but she still felt him touching her. The phantom touches made her skin crawl and she remembered him whispering sickly sweet things to her as he hurt her, touched her, took from her. She pressed her hands to her mouth and dropped to a crouch with the water hitting her back. 

This was all her fault she should have fought him harder, she should have screamed for Hermes. Should have scratched and bit she should have done more, she let him do this to her. She deserved this, if only she had tried harder. She pressed her hands tighter to her mouth to stifle her sobs. 

After a while the water ran ice cold and Persephone ran out of tears. Turning off the water she wrapped a fluffy towel around her and looked back in the mirror her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Her nose was clogged from all her crying and she was tired again. The thought of laying in her bed again chased away any ideas of sleeping. Digging through her closet she found an old hoodie and jeans. Changing she dried her short hair not bothering to fix it or caring what it looked like. Breathing in deeply she looked to her desk where her mother's letter still sat. A new wave of emotions washed over her, she could tell her mother. If anyone would believe her it would be Demeter. Her mother was a powerful Goddess in her own right but could she stand up to a sun God? What if Zeus got involved? He'd surely take Apollo's side as his role in the world was much more important than her own. She remembered when she was younger, Zeus had once said that spring Goddesses were found by the handful. 

She shook her head, she'd hold off on telling her mother, she had to see how much Zeus favored Apollo. She didn't want to bring her mother into something that could endanger her or the mortal realm. Her mother was a force to be reckoned with, there were plenty who could attest to that. She was no King of the Gods however and Zeus was known to have a cruel side when crossed. Her mother could do many things but Persephone seriously doubted she could take on the King of the Gods and win. With that idea dashed, Persephone picked up her mother's letter and her new phone. Tucking her phone into her jean pocket she walked to her door. She froze when her hand touched the doorknob, what if Apollo was still here? What if he was waiting for her? Panic bubbled in her gut at the thought. No, no he had to pull the sun he wasn't here he was gone. Still it took her a few moments before she opened the door and looked out into the hallway. Seeing it empty she stepped out and shut her door, heading to the kitchen she heard Artemis talking to her cat Retsina. Hoping Artemis didn't notice her puffy face, Persephone stepped into the kitchen with a small smile.

"Hey Perse, are you hungry? I just made waffles." Artemis said from the table as she shoved a forkful of syrup covered waffle in mouth.

The thought of food made her stomach roll. "No, I'm fine. Be back gonna drop my letter in the mailbox."