Hades and Persephone

Chapter 6

Persephone met with the dark god every night. They walked around the palace of Hades and he showed her the rest of the Underworld. She thought everything was so interesting. She watched as spirits were judged, Charon ferried the pair across the River Styx, they wandered through Asphodel fields. Each night she would fall asleep in a bed at the palace, and wake up in her own at home.

She thought she could tell who the dark god was now. She had thought it was him before, but hadn't been sure. Now, she knew "Hades." She tested his name in her mouth, liking the way it rolled off her tongue. She smiled, knowing for certain that was the dark god's name.

She lay on a river bank, letting on hand dip into the water. She thought about the banquet Hades was to hold in a month and a half. She thought that would be the perfect time to reveal that she knew his identity. She sighed. She had finally found a friend who knew her. Artemis and Athena were great and they knew what she went through, but Hades understood. He had been forced into a role he hadn't wanted, but stuck to it. He ruled justly, making sure all the spirits were fairly judged. 

She rolled onto her back and looked up at the sky. What would her mother do when she revealed her desire to live in the Underworld? 

The servants, who had been invisible before, now revealed themselves to her. She had been astonished at how many there were. Hades must have told them not to treat him specially, for whenever they had crossed paths, they had simply inclined their heads and went on their way.

Persephone sighed. Why was her life so boring? She felt like at any moment she would just sink into the ground. She wished Hades would just take her away from her monotonous life.

She heard whistling and looked up. Demeter walked down the hill with a bucket. "Hello dear," she called.

"Good afternoon, Mother."

Demeter dunked her bucket in the river, then sat down beside her daughter. "I thought I would come and enjoy your company."

Persephone shifted. "Alright."

Demeter eyed her daughter carefully. There seemed to be a glow about her that hadn't been there a month ago. She spared a glance at Persephone's abdomen, but it didn't seem any larger. That didn't mean anything for a goddess though. 

"You seem to be quite happy outside of the house."

"Well, I am a nature goddess. Is it not natural for me to want to be outdoors as much as possible?"

Demeter shrugged. "I suppose so."

Persephone looked at her mother carefully. Where was she going with this? A sudden thought struck her: what if she knew about her trips to the Underworld?

"I would like Artemis and Athena to visit again. I think they do you a world of good!"

She smiled. "Yes. They are truly the best of friends."

Demeter hummed, dipping her feet into the running river. "Do you know why I chose this place for us to live?"

"Why?"

"Well, It's quite isolated from both Olympus and mortals, first of all. It also has everything a nature goddess could want! We have the ocean, a forest, rolling plains. This is a place where we can do anything and everything."

Persephone smiled. Her mother was obsessed with nature. Her smile faded. Had she always been this obsessed? She couldn't remember a time when Demeter hadn't been trying to make her gardens or help the mortals have the best harvests. 

The harvest goddess let her head fall back, allowing the sun to fully hit her face.

Her mother seemed so content. She dipped her own feet in the river, sidling up next to her. She thought now would be as good a time as any.