Kore || A Hades and Persephone Retelling

XIX. The Competition

|| Thank you all for your love and support. The last few chapters were hard to write a and go through, but one doesn't go from the spring goddess to the Destroyer without experiencing pain. I hope you will all continue reading as Kore continues her ascension. ||

- Kore -

I soon found myself up in the upper box over an expansive and elaborate arena. Both my parents sat with me, one on each side as the event drew closer.

I rolled my eyes as I examined the race track. I was trying not to feel like a simple laurel wreath to be won- the first event to decide who'd I'd marry was a chariot race?

Only Zeus.

But, at the end of the day, I did like chariot races, and I did enjoy getting to spend time with both my parents when they weren't threatening to kill each other. So, despite how off I still felt, and despite the niggling voice in the back of my head, I started to relax and almost feel excited for the event to start.

Zeus grinned as he took a swig of his ambrosia. He had been like a child all morning, and couldn't stand the wait. As the riders pulled up to the starting line, I couldn't help my eyes being drawn to one specific chariot.

It was a beautiful black color that glistened in the sun, drawn by a pair of magnificent black stallions. The corner of my lip turned up just slightly- it was no hard guess as to who's chariot it was. Hades had a certain aesthetic, after all.

I watched in curiousity as several nymphs wove through the riders, handing each of them a goblet. Hades took it without hesitation, but I saw quite a few gagging faces as they downed whatever was in the cup.

The pit in my stomach seemed to grow when Hades looked up towards the box. My eyes met his for a long moment before my face twisted in shame, and I quickly broke away. I was confused- why was Hades still doing this if he and Clarey were back together?

The sunlight glared off another chariot, blinding me for a moment. My anxiety grew as I realized who's chariot was directly next to Hades'..

Apollo sat in his golden sun chariot, wearing a white tunic. He and Hades couldn't have appeared more alike- although, I noted with chagrin, that this was the classic examples of appearances not meaning anything. As Apollo's eyes turned towards me, I quickly started up a conversation with my mother about the harvest time, which was only a few weeks away now.

Soon, Zeus stood, clapping my shoulder as he did so. Using his powers, his voice boomed over the arena so all in attendance could here.

"Time is running short, and my ambrosia supply won't keep all day," He joked. The audience laughed along- whether it was funny or not, laughing at Zeus's jibes was just something you did. "Without further delay, we shall begin the event. Our competitors today will compete for the hand of the Lady Kore-  Goddess of Spring, and my beloved daughter. To ensure the best man wins," Zeus continued with an arrogant swagger, "Each hero has drank a mortality potion. While they shall keep their godly strength, their individual powers will be gone until the sun sets tonight- that will be the ending point of our competition."

He paused, letting the crowd's chatter die down. Mortality potions certainly changed the game- gods relied on their powers more than anything, and taking that away would raise the stakes significantly. It was suddenly anyone's game.

"Riders, take your mark!" Zeus bellowed as he raised his hand in the air. A thunderclap would signal the beginning of the race, as usual.

A tense few seconds paused before the thunderclap came, and everyone took off. Chariot races were notoriously brutal, and anything was fair game. From the get-go, Hades and Apollo seemed to be in the lead, with Hermes close behind. I blinked in shock at the site of my uncle. "Hermes is competing?" I asked in curiosity.