Hope for the Underworld

39

Cora seemed to be very nervous while awaiting the arrival of Hades' brothers.

'My love.' Hades enveloped her in his strong arms, in both protective and calming gesture. 'There is nothing to worry about,' he persuaded, kissing her temple. 'They will be undoubtedly surprised but will also rejoice with us.'

He had planned to receive their guests in his magnificent throne room, but Cora had insisted on a less formal setting. 'Can we talk to them in the library?' she had suggested. 'You said that Zeus was always sensitive to any perceived challenges to his position. Let us treat this occasion simply as a family gathering and not a display of power.' As always, she was right, and Hades looked forward to sharing their good news with his brothers.

The shadows swirled around them, and a disembodied voice announced that both gods had just arrived.

'Good.' Hades breathed deeply and stood next to Cora's chair, straightening himself in a regal pose. 'Show them in.'

A few minutes have passed, then the great doors swung open to admit their visitors. 'My Lord, my Lady,' the voice announced clearly. 'Lord Zeus and Lord Poseidon.'

They both stepped inside and seemed to be momentarily surprised by their surroundings. They clearly didn't expect to enter the library. The doors closed behind them soundlessly.

'Welcome, brothers,' Hades spoke first.

'What is the meaning of this?' Zeus demanded, before anything else could be said. 'For eons you have barred us all from entry to the Underworld and now...' His voice trailed away, as he took in the sitting woman.

Cora rose to her feet and smiled a little timidly, for the first time displaying a slight crack in her usual confidence. 'My Lords, welcome. May we offer you some refreshments?'

Poseidon seemed to be more perceptive of the two; as he looked carefully at Cora, he was able to detect a discreet glow emanating from her.

'Zeus, Poseidon.' Hades took charge. 'I asked you to come, to share with you our glorious news. My beloved Cora and I are expecting our child.'

'What?!' Zeus spluttered impatiently. 'That's impossible!'

Poseidon appeared to be more diplomatic, and he gently touched Zeus' arm to silence him. 'It was our impression that...' he hesitated slightly, carefully choosing the right words, '... that fatherhood was beyond your reach.'

'Please, let us sit.' Hades implored with a gesture. 'That's how I always understood my fate as well,' he admitted, as they took places. 'However, many things have changed since Cora arrived here.' He reached out and lifted her hand to his lips. 'So many things have changed,' he repeated for emphasis.

'Like what?' inquired Poseidon.

'Cora is able to grow plants, for starters.'

'May we see?'

Hades only nodded; he led his brothers along the palace corridors and outside into the garden, then pointed to Cora's plants.

Zeus gasped in shock and, for the first time in ages, couldn't summon his voice. Poseidon, in contrast, smiled warmly and approached Cora. 'Congratulations. To both of you. I must admit I did notice an unusual glow about you during the feast on Olympus, but I dismissed it eventually as a simple sign of your happiness. Thank you for telling us,' he added, looking pointedly at Zeus.

'Yes.' Zeus managed to compose himself. 'Congratulations... But HOW is that even possible? All of this!' He made a wide sweeping gesture, encompassing both the garden, and its creator.

'We don't know,' Hades was forced to admit. 'But as the time passes, Cora manifests more powers.'

The Almighty scrunched his face, highly displeased that he was unable to understand what was going on.

'What powers?' Poseidon was also more curious of the two.

Without a word, Cora dropped to her knees and placed her hands on the ground, palms down. She closed her eyes and after a moment a soft humming escaped her lips. Both gods stared in open-mouthed astonishment as plants around her started growing and many of the flowers bloomed, turning towards her, as if bowing their heads to her.

'How did you do that?' Poseidon asked, offering his hand to help her rise.

'I...' She lacked the words to explain it. 'I just feel them... The plants, I mean. They want to grow, and I simply encourage them.'

'And the song?'

'This I don't know,' she confessed, rubbing her forehead. 'It just comes to me.'

'What do you think came first?' Poseidon asked suddenly, as that thought occurred to him. 'The pregnancy, or that power of fertility.'

'I don't really know.'

'Many gods and goddesses had offspring with mortals and, even if the children are often gifted in some way, I have never heard of any of the mortal parents gaining divine powers as a result,' announced Zeus tersely. 'There must be something more at play here.'

'Do you suspect the Fates?' Hades' tone became sharp all of a sudden, and his shadows swirled around him anxiously.

Cora looked at him, quite alarmed by this sudden change and, as if in response, they all heard a warning growl; moments later the massive hellhound materialised out of nowhere, taking his position by her side.

Their visitors stepped back a little, more than unsettled; their eyes flickering between the trio in front of them.

'Oh, forgive us,' Cora hastened to explain. 'Cerberus has recently become my personal bodyguard.' She smiled at the animal and scratched one of his heads with affection. 'He is not dangerous. He's just sensing your unease.'

'Let us return to the library, where we can discuss this in comfort.' Hades ushered them back inside.

Their visitors seemed to be quite unsettled, so Cora stepped in. 'Please, let us sit down and discuss the matter. May we offer you something to drink?' Golden goblets and a tall amphora appeared on the table in front of them. 'My Lord,' she turned to Hades. 'What did you mean by your reference to the Fates?'

Focussed once more on the matter at hand, the gods sat down, but their body language spoke of uneasiness.

'The Fates are able to subtly manipulate the destinies of mortals.' It was Poseidon who replied to her question.

'Can they be responsible for my powers?' she asked.

'Absolutely not!' exclaimed Zeus hotly. 'They are forbidden to interfere in the lives of gods, so if they did, there will be reconning!'

'But I am not a god,' she countered softly.

'Hades is! And by meddling in your life, they would affect his as well. I am greatly disturbed by all this!' Zeus banged the table and rose to his feet.

'Brother.' Poseidon stood next to him and placed a calming hand on his brother's shoulder. 'We will figure it out with time. But now, we should rejoice in our older brother's happiness,' he stressed. 'There hasn't been a new baby on Olympus for quite some time. And especially descended from one of the primary gods. This certainly calls for a celebration.' He smiled warmly.

'I am not letting Cora out of my sight, nor letting her leave the Underworld until we know what is happening!' announced Hades suddenly. 'We wanted to share our good news with you, but that's the limit of my hospitality.' His tone hardened and his eyes darkened. 'There will be no more visitors to my realm until I am satisfied that Cora is not in any danger!'

'What danger?' snorted Zeus, as if that remark was aimed at him.

'Eris tried to poison her once!' Hades' eyes glowed red with the memory. 'And I am still not entirely convinced she worked alone...' He rose to his feet. 'Thank you for coming, but now you should leave.' He ushered his brothers out of the library and escorted them outside of his palace.

'That was quite unnecessary.' Cora spoke when he returned.

'I don't care!' he growled, still simmering. 'They were not as pleased with the news as they should have been!' He embraced her.

'So, what are we going to do now?'

'I think a visit to the Fates is in order.'

'Are they going to be more helpful than the Oracle was?' she voiced her doubts.

'They bloody better be!'