Hope for the Underworld

10

They slowly walked back to the blanket and then settled opposite each other, eating in awkward silence for some time.

'I am sorry,' he spoke eventually. 'I didn't mean to be so... unkind. It's that sometimes you exasperate me... Most of the time, I do not understand you...' He sighed and shook his head. 'But shall we try to forget it and raise a toast to a new beginning?' In an effort to lighten the mood, he produced a bottle she had not noticed before.

'Is that wise?' She scrunched her nose, more than willing to put the last exchange behind them, even if it still made her feel mortified. 'I trust you will never let me live down the first time.'

'This is something else.' He shook his head, his lips twitching. 'And I will not let you drink so much again.' He poured the amber liquid into two beautifully decorated goblets and handed her one. 'To friends.'

'To friends.' They lifted the goblets and drank in one go. 'Nice.' She clicked her tongue appreciatively. 'How the other half lives...' she mused.

'The other half of what?'

She laughed and proceeded to explain the meaning of the phrase.

After the meal was finished, she insisted they recline on the blanket and play yet another game. 'Look at the shape of clouds and say the first thing that springs to mind,' she instructed.

'Why?' he questioned, looking at her suspiciously.

'Because it's entertaining!' Sha laughed. 'Because people often look at the same object and see completely different things. We are all different in how we perceive the world around us.'

They spent a long time disagreeing about every single cloud that passed overhead on the gentle breeze...

'What a nauseatingly bucolic scene,' came a snazzy remark from somewhere behind them.

Startled, Cora sat back up to see who it was. An elegant and quite beautiful woman stood a few paces away, leaning nonchalantly on a gnarled olive tree. But the impression of beauty was marred by her sarcastic expression; her lips were pressed into a thin line and her eyes were mere slits.

'Lady Discord.' Hades must have recognised the voice and did not appear to be shocked. He was, however, quite displeased.

'Lord Receiver,' she did not even afford Cora courtesy of a greeting. 'Such an unexpected pleasure to meet you outside of the confines of your exquisite palace. I hope you are enjoying your... outing,' she almost spat it out, throwing daggers at Hades' companion.

'I do.' He calmly stood up and straightened into his full height, facing her with obvious dislike, while the goddess took in with surprise his bare feet and a slightly dishevelled appearance. 'This is Eris,' he turned to Cora, who felt a little unsettled by their open hostility.

'Eris?' she repeated, trying to recall the story. 'Oh...' Her eyes widened. 'Of the apple? And the Trojan War?'

'Unfortunately,' confirmed Hades and then turned his cold gaze back to the goddess. 'I will thank you to leave us to our pursuits. There is no space for a third wheel here,' he added dismissively.

'And this phrase he knows!' thought Cora, but she had no time to dwell upon it, because Eris snorted indignantly.

'I am not as amused by consorting with insignificant mortals as you seem to be!' She turned away and disappeared.

'Is she really gone?' Cora whispered, looking suspiciously around.

'Yes... I am sorry about that.' He invited her to sit back and poured her another drink.

'Was it her?' Cora sked after a moment of silence.

'Her, who?'

'Her, who seduced you? It would explain why she was so angry,' she added to clarify her meaning.

'No.' He shook his head with a sad smile. 'I pride myself on a much more refined taste.'

'Are you sure?'

'Very.'

'So, is she furious because you rejected her?' Cora kept guessing.

He lifted his head in surprise. 'Why would you think that?'

'I've never met her before, yet she seemed to be very angry about you spending time with me... It was that, wasn't it?' She grinned, seeing his discomfort. 'Come on, spill!'

'Well,' he sighed with resignation. 'Apparently, she did entertain, at some point in the past, certain ideas of becoming the Queen of the Underworld,' he confessed, choosing his words with great care. 'But, even as desperate as I might have looked to her, I couldn't quite get past her barbed remarks and the need to sow discord.' He shrugged, concluding the matter.

He lowered himself down again, resting his head on his crossed arms and closed his eyes. She just couldn't pass the opportunity to torment him a little, so she picked up a bit of long grass and proceeded to tickle his ear with quiet deliberation.

He didn't react for an inhumanly long time, until, finally, without even opening his eyes, he said very quietly. 'Will you stop that?'

She laughed and went to lay next to him. 'So, who was she?'

'Who?' he asked lazily.

'The one that seduced you.'

'I don't think that's any of your business,' he cut the matter short.

'I can ask Hermes,' she threatened teasingly.

'I'm sure you can.' He shrugged. 'Let's not allow discord to spoil our day.' He propped himself on his elbow and looked at Cora's face from above. 'You do seem to know a great many things,' he changed the subject. 'How?'

'You forget that I'm a librarian. I read.' She smiled and in that moment her face glowed with pure happiness. 'At least, I read a lot before...' her voice faltered a little.

'Please, tell me about your favourite books.' As he suspected, that was the subject that would engage her for a long time.

And, in the meantime, he formulated a NEW plan.